Ripple has allocated over $5 million in additional funding to expand its University Blockchain Research Initiative throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
The firm is targeting six countries with both renewed partnerships and new academic collaborations. The investment spans South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Australia, focusing on blockchain education, research projects, and student development programs designed to advance XRP Ledger adoption and innovation.
As per the details from the press release, the funding strategy builds on seven years of UBRI operations, with the program now supporting 60 university partners globally, including 13 institutions across the APAC region.
A six-year cooperation of $1.1 million is extended with Korea University, while Japan continues to fund Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo, totaling more than $1.5 million. Through grants to Nanyang Technological University and continued support for the National University of Singapore, Singapore has contributed more than $3 million.
Taiwan and Australia Join Growing Academic Network
New partnerships extend UBRI’s reach into Taiwan through collaboration with National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, which becomes the initiative’s 60th global partner.
The Taiwan program focuses on real-world asset tokenization research, examining technical and policy implications across multiple blockchain networks including XRP Ledger, Ethereum, and Solana. The university will establish an XRPL validator and Student Builders Club to foster grassroots blockchain engagement.
Through a new partnership with Victoria University and renewed financing for the Australian National University, Australia has invested a total of $1.3 million. While creating advanced legal courses that address blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and digital payments, ANU will keep running its XRPL validator. Additionally, Evernode, a suggested Layer 2 smart contract platform for XRPL, is the subject of academic research supported by the university.
Research projects funded through UBRI cover diverse blockchain applications including enhanced sharding efficiency, NFT privacy using Zero-Knowledge Proofs, and autonomous AI agent networks.
While Hanyang University investigates zk-SNARK enhancements for improved privacy and scalability, Korea University professors concentrate on integrating blockchain shards with Layer 2 solutions.
“Ripple’s generous UBRI grant enhances our research and development efforts and empowers us to pursue high-impact projects,” said Professor Yang Liu from Nanyang Technological University’s College of Computing & Data Science.
The expanded investment targets APAC’s position as a global fintech hub, with the region hosting the highest concentration of neobanks worldwide and progressive regulatory frameworks that encourage digital asset experimentation.
