Ripple has deepened its efforts to foster blockchain knowledge in the Asia-Pacific region through a new $5 million commitment under its Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative. This additional funding is part of Ripple’s broader University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), aimed at nurturing blockchain talent and driving cutting-edge academic research throughout APAC.
Expanding Academic Reach Across APAC
This latest round of funding builds on Ripple’s previous global $25 million UBRI investment. The Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative will now expand across six key APAC countries, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Australia, enhancing existing partnerships and establishing new ones to investigate innovative blockchain applications such as real-world asset (RWA) tokenization.
The initiative equips students and faculty with financial support, infrastructure, and expert guidance, empowering them to contribute meaningfully to the blockchain ecosystem.
Partnerships Strengthened in South Korea and Japan
Ripple’s renewed focus includes South Korea, where it has extended a $1.1 million partnership with Korea University. This relationship, ongoing for six years, remains central to its efforts in the region. Ripple is also continuing its work with Yonsei University, where a joint blockchain research initiative was introduced last year.
In Japan, the Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative is furthering its collaboration with Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo. Grants totaling over $1.5 million support projects like the development of an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger, a forward-looking blockchain-powered AI platform.
“With our current grant, we are developing an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger to create a transparent, modular, accessible, and collaborative AI platform harnessing blockchain technology. We believe this innovation will be pivotal in shaping the future of AI.” – Yang Liu, Professor at the College of Computing & Data Science, Nanyang Technological University
Real-World Asset Tokenization Takes Root in Taiwan
Taiwan is the next focus for the Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative. Ripple has formed a new partnership with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST). Dr. Echo Huang is leading this collaboration. The project will explore technical aspects of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. It will also study regulatory issues. The research will cover major blockchains such as XRPL, Ethereum, and Solana.
As part of the partnership, NKUST will establish an XRPL Student Builders Club and run its own validator node, fostering practical blockchain interaction among students. Taiwan’s regulatory and institutional interest in asset tokenization provides a supportive backdrop for the initiative’s goals.
Australia Strengthens Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative
Ripple is also reaffirming its commitment to blockchain education in Australia. It has renewed its partnership with the Australian National University (ANU). It has also formed a new collaboration with Victoria University. These partnerships bring Ripple’s total investment in Australian academic institutions to over $1.3 million.
The Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative will help ANU improve its legal curriculum on blockchain, digital assets, and payments. It will also support faculty research on Evernode. Evernode is a Layer 2 smart contract platform built for the XRP Ledger. ANU will continue to run its validator node. It will also publish student research in the ANU Journal of Law and Technology.
Cutting-Edge Blockchain Research Projects Underway
UBRI-affiliated universities across APAC are actively researching vital challenges in blockchain scalability, security, and privacy. Among the highlights:
- Professors IK Rae Jong and Dong Hoon Lee at Korea University are enhancing blockchain sharding techniques by integrating them with Layer 2 networks.
- Researchers are developing privacy-centric solutions using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and zk-SNARKs, including a crypto device that can conceal transaction history while preserving audit transparency.
- At Hanyang University, Professor Hyunok Oh is optimizing zk-SNARK performance to boost privacy and scalability.
Ripple’s Long-Term Vision
The Ripple Blockchain Education Initiative reflects the company’s unwavering belief in blockchain’s transformative power. By funding academic institutions and supporting strategic research, Ripple is cultivating a new generation of developers and innovators who will help advance XRPL, artificial intelligence, asset tokenization, and privacy-enhancing technologies.
As blockchain adoption accelerates across sectors, Ripple’s investments are laying the foundation for long-term impact and technological evolution.
