Ripple CTO says RippleUSD stablecoin may only be available to institutions

• Ripple executive David Schwartz said that the firm’s stablecoin RippleUSD will probably only be available for institutions. 
• RLUSD, which is being tested in private beta, could be available within weeks. 
• XRP gained slightly on Monday, trades at $0.5309. 

Ripple (XRP) Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Schwartz said on Sunday that the RippleUSD stablecoin might only be available for institutions, addressing user concerns about its launch. RippleUSD (RLUSD) is currently in private beta and is not available for purchase or trade as the asset is awaiting regulatory appeal, per Ripple’s announcement. 

RippleUSD will “probably” only be available to institutions

Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse said at the Korea Blockchain Week that the firm’s stablecoin is close to issuance. Garlinghouse said the launch is close, likely within “weeks” and not months. 

This timeline has raised speculation among XRP holders about the future usage of the stablecoin. XRP community member @KhaledElawadi asked whether it is possible for the stablecoin to be available only to institutions in order to insulate it from those who want to use it for money laundering. 

Ripple CTO David Schwartz said that the token “will probably only ever be available directly to institutions”. Schwartz drew parallels between RippleUSD and USDCoin and USDTether in his response. 

The trader’s concern is that USD Tether’s availability to users makes it available to market manipulators and international money laundering networks. 

Ripple first dropped the details of its stablecoin plans in April. The firm said that the token would be 100% backed by US Dollar deposits, short-term US government Treasuries and other cash equivalents. There is no fixed timeline for launch at the time of writing. 

XRP trades at $0.5309 on Monday, gaining 0.29% on the day.