Ripple Invests $5M in APAC Blockchain Research via UBRI

Ripple Labs has announced $5 million in funding under its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), sparking attention from the XRP community. This project aims to support blockchain research and education across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. How will this funding help the blockchain sector?

Ripple’s $5 Million Investment: A Boost to APAC’s Blockchain Space

Earlier today, Ripple Labs revealed via an official blog post its latest move to expand its UBRI to the APAC region. With a $5 million investment, the company aims to foster innovation, drive adoption, and develop the next generation of blockchain leaders in the region.

Notably, UBRI is a program launched by Ripple to support blockchain research and innovation in higher education institutions around the world. The XRP platform has already begun its initiative in the APAC region, collaborating with major universities. By providing essential resources, funding, and expert guidance, the company is empowering students and researchers to transform their ideas into tangible real-world impact.

Professor Yang Liu, College of Computing & Data Science at Nanyang Technological University, acknowledged the crypto platform’s commitment to blockchain education. Liu revealed the institution’s plan to develop an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger. The Professor stated,

Ripple’s generous UBRI grant significantly enhances our research and development efforts and empowers us to pursue high-impact projects. With our current grant, we are developing an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger…We believe this innovation will be pivotal in shaping the future of AI.

Significantly, this development comes just a day after Ripple’s partnership with Japan’s JETRO-backed Web3 Salon. As CoinGape reported, the project promises up to $200,000 in funding for XRPL startups.

Ripple Expands UBRI Partnerships in Taiwan, Australia, Korea & Japan

Interestingly, Ripple’s UBRI is also expanding to Taiwan. The platform has partnered with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST), led by Dr. Echo Huang. This project intends to explore real-world asset tokenization, analyzing the technical and policy implications of RWA issuance across networks. It also aims to evaluate XRP Ledger’s cross-chain functionality alongside Ethereum and Solana blockchains. NKUST Professor Echo Huang cited,

NKUST is excited…to explore the potential of Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger. We believe our work will be instrumental in demonstrating how this technology can unlock new value and opportunities—while also bringing cutting-edge innovation and helping empower Taiwan’s next generation of builders and researchers.

In addition, UBRI is strengthening its presence in Australia through renewed and new partnerships with top universities. The XRP platform has joined hands with the Australian National University (ANU) to support advanced blockchain coursework and research. The total investment in Australian universities now stands at $1.3 million.

Meanwhile, the company has invested $1.1 million in Korea University over six years, focusing on blockchain research and security. In Japan, the platform has expanded its partnership with Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo, with more than $1.5 million in funding.

It is particularly noteworthy that Ripple continues to forge new developments and deals, undeterred by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the prolonged XRP lawsuit. Though the community expects a possible XRP case update by June 16, the outcome remains unclear.