Santander, Bank of America and SBI Pilot XRP for Faster Cross‑Border Settlements
Major banks including Santander, Bank of America and Japan’s SBI Holdings are using or testing XRP-powered infrastructure to speed up cross-border payments, according to crypto asset manager 21Shares. The firm recently launched an XRP ETF (TOXR) and reports that over 100 financial institutions worldwide are now using or piloting XRP solutions. Banks aim to address slow, costly legacy systems (eg. SWIFT) by using XRP’s blockchain for near-instant settlement, lower fees and reduced liquidity needs. Santander has tested RippleNet and XRP corridors; Bank of America is evaluating XRP technology for modernising payments; SBI uses XRP via SBI Remit for fast, low-cost remittances to countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam. Traders should note this represents rising institutional interest in XRP adoption, which could increase transaction volume, liquidity and market attention for the XRP token. Key keywords: XRP, cross-border payments, Santander, Bank of America, SBI Holdings, RippleNet, remittances.
Bullish
Institutional pilots and integration tests by major banks are generally bullish for the underlying token because they increase real-world utility, potential transaction volume and market attention. Evidence: announcements of payment rails or remittance corridors historically lift on‑chain usage and token demand (eg. prior Ripple partnerships and adoption cycles saw XRP price and liquidity improvements). Short-term effects may include price spikes and higher volatility as traders react to news and speculate on ETF adoption (21Shares’ TOXR) and pilot rollouts. Mid-to-long term, sustained usage for settlement could reduce sell pressure associated with speculative holders if liquidity demand for XRP as a settlement token rises; it may also attract more institutional counterparties and capital. Risks: pilots can fail, regulatory setbacks or limited production adoption could mute benefits. Overall, the balance of increased utility and institutional validation points to a bullish impact, though traders should watch pilot confirmations, on‑chain volume, exchange flows and regulatory headlines for execution risk.