As of April 2026, banks across 55+ countries are using XRP for cross-border payments through Ripple's On-Demand Liquidity (ODL). The system has 70+ active corridors moving real money in seconds — replacing the legacy SWIFT model that takes days and traps billions in pre-funded accounts.
How XRP Cross-Border Payments Work
Traditional cross-border payments require banks to pre-fund "nostro" accounts in destination countries. A US bank sending money to Mexico must keep peso reserves in a Mexican correspondent bank — capital that sits idle waiting for transactions. Globally, banks have $5+ trillion locked in nostro accounts.
Ripple's ODL eliminates this entirely:
The 70+ Active ODL Corridors in 2026
Each corridor connects two countries through liquidity providers and partner banks. The most active corridors by volume:
Banks Confirmed Using XRP for Cross-Border Payments
Public confirmations of banks using XRP via RippleNet's ODL product. This list excludes the 200+ NDA partners that Ripple does not publicly disclose.
| Bank | Country | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Santander | Spain / Global | Cross-border ODL via One Pay FX |
| Standard Chartered | UK / Asia | Cross-border settlement infrastructure |
| SBI Holdings (SBI Remit) | Japan | Japan-to-SE Asia ODL remittance |
| Siam Commercial Bank | Thailand | Japan-Thailand ODL corridor |
| Bank of America | USA | RippleNet international payments |
| PNC Bank | USA | RippleNet payment corridors |
| BBVA | Spain / LatAm | Cross-border payment rails |
| Itaú Unibanco | Brazil | Cross-border remittance using XRP |
| National Bank of Egypt | Egypt | Egypt-UAE remittance corridor |
| AMINA Bank | Switzerland | First European bank on Ripple Payments (2026) |
| MoneyGram | Global | Consumer remittance via ODL |
| Tranglo | Malaysia | Pan-Asia corridor operator |
| Travelex Bank | Brazil | Brazil corridor connectivity |
| Bitso | Mexico | USA-Mexico ODL (largest corridor) |
| Standard Bank | South Africa | Pan-African settlement |
The actual number is much higher. Ripple CTO David Schwartz confirmed in April 2026 that Ripple holds 200+ NDAs with banking partners. The 300+ public figure represents disclosed institutions only — the real adoption number is significantly larger.
Why Banks Use XRP Instead of Stablecoins
A common question: "Why not just use USDC or USDT for cross-border payments?" The answer comes down to capital efficiency.
Stablecoin model
Banks need to pre-fund USDC/USDT in destination markets. To send pesos from the US to Mexico, you need USDC liquidity in Mexico, then convert USDC to pesos. This is just nostro accounts in a different form — capital is still trapped, just in stablecoins instead of fiat.
XRP/ODL model
XRP is a neutral bridge asset on a permissionless ledger. No bank needs to hold or pre-fund XRP — liquidity providers handle the conversion in real time. Capital is freed entirely. The XRP is held only for the 3-5 seconds of settlement.
For institutional cross-border settlement at scale, the XRP model is structurally more capital-efficient than any stablecoin model.
Countries Using XRP for Cross-Border Payments
Active country pairs through RippleNet ODL corridors include:
- North America: USA, Canada, Mexico
- Europe: UK, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy
- Asia-Pacific: Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, Australia
- Middle East: UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia (pilots)
- Africa: South Africa, Nigeria (pilots), Kenya (pilots)
- Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile
The Regulatory Foundation
What makes the 2026 adoption surge possible is regulatory clarity. Ripple now holds 75+ licenses globally, with the most significant being:
- FCA EMI License (UK) — January 2026, unlocks all UK banking partnerships
- CSSF EMI License (Luxembourg) — passporting access to all 27 EU member states
- ASIC AFSL (Australia) — March 2026, opens AU-NZ corridors
- MAS MPI License (Singapore) — Major Payment Institution status
- VARA VASP (UAE) — covers Middle East corridors
- SEC settlement — $125M, secondary sales cleared as non-securities
Where to Buy & Store XRP
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Track XRP cross-border adoption live
TokenSonar updates twice daily with the latest bank integrations, ODL corridor activations, and regulatory developments.
View XRP Live Data →Frequently Asked Questions
Which banks use XRP for cross-border payments in 2026?
Major banks using XRP via Ripple's ODL include Santander, Standard Chartered, SBI Holdings, Bank of America, PNC Bank, BBVA, Itaú Unibanco, Siam Commercial Bank, AMINA Bank, MoneyGram, and 290+ other financial institutions.
How many ODL corridors does Ripple have in 2026?
Ripple has 70+ active ODL payment corridors as of 2026, including USA-Mexico (Bitso), USA-Philippines (SendFriend), Japan-Thailand (SBI/SCB), UAE-India (Lulu), and Brazil-North America (Travelex).
What countries use XRP for cross-border payments?
XRP is used for cross-border payments in 55+ countries including the US, UK, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, and Australia.
How does ODL settle so fast?
ODL transmits XRP across the XRP Ledger in 3-5 seconds, with the entire end-to-end conversion completing in under 10 seconds. The XRPL processes 1,500 transactions per second with finality.
Why don't banks use Bitcoin for cross-border payments?
Bitcoin's 10-minute confirmation time and high volatility make it unsuitable for cross-border payment settlement. XRP's 3-5 second settlement, low cost, and purpose-built design for payments are why financial institutions chose it over Bitcoin.