- Ripple and Meritz Securities will explore institutional custody and tokenization services under South Korea’s growing digital asset regulations.
- Meritz is assessing spot ETFs, security tokens, fractional investments, trading platforms and Korean won-denominated stablecoins.
- The agreement marks Ripple’s fourth institutional partnership in South Korea this year, following deals spanning banking and insurance.
Ripple partnered with Meritz Securities on October 14, 2026, to explore institutional digital asset custody and tokenization in South Korea’s capital markets. The agreement marks Ripple’s first partnership with a Korean securities firm and its fourth institutional deal in the country this year, extending its work across banking, insurance and securities.
Meritz Explores Custody and Tokenization Services
Under the partnership, the companies will explore integrating Ripple Custody and Ripple’s tokenization infrastructure into Meritz’s existing securities business. They will begin within current regulations and expand cooperation in stages as South Korea’s digital asset framework develops.
Ripple Custody provides regulated financial institutions with infrastructure to store, transfer and settle digital assets. The partnership allows Meritz to explore custody services without building the entire infrastructure independently.
Meritz is also examining several digital asset opportunities as South Korea prepares to integrate digital assets into its regulated financial system. These include spot exchange-traded funds, fractional investments, security tokens, trading platforms and Korean won-denominated stablecoins.
Ripple and Meritz Outline Their Plans
Fiona Murray, Ripple’s managing director for Asia Pacific, said Korean institutions were moving toward practical digital asset applications. She added that Ripple provides payments, custody and tokenization infrastructure, supported by more than 85 licenses across over 60 markets.
Meanwhile, Byungha Kang, managing director of Meritz Securities’ Strategic Planning Unit, said the partnership would combine Ripple’s global infrastructure with the firm’s capital markets capabilities. He said Meritz would prepare digital asset financial services in stages as regulations evolve.
Fourth Korean Partnership Follows Banking and Insurance Deals
The Meritz agreement follows three other institutional partnerships Ripple announced in South Korea this year. Kyobo Life Insurance is using Ripple Custody to develop the country’s first blockchain-based tokenized government bond settlement.
Kbank, South Korea’s first internet-only bank, is deploying digital asset wallet infrastructure through Ripple Custody. Jeonbuk Bank became the first regional bank in the country to adopt Ripple Payments for cross-border remittances.
The Meritz deal extends Ripple’s Korean institutional relationships into capital markets. It adds a securities firm to its existing work with banking and insurance institutions.
