Ripple Labs has announced plans to contribute an additional $5 million to support academic research and nurture blockchain talent across the Asia-Pacific region.
In a blog post published Tuesday, the company revealed that the funding will be distributed through its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI). The initiative will support universities in six countries, with new grants specifically directed toward institutions in Taiwan and Australia.
UBRI has pledged $1.1 million to Yonsei University in South Korea as part of a six-year collaboration. In Japan, the initiative has allocated $1.5 million to Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo. In Singapore, total funding has surpassed $3 million, supporting both Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore.
Professor Yang Liu from the College of Computing and Data Science at Nanyang Technological University, which is working on an AI agent built on the XRP Ledger, noted the grants have significantly boosted the university’s R&D capabilities.
“With our current grant, we’re developing an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger to build a transparent, modular, accessible, and collaborative AI platform powered by blockchain technology,” Liu said. “We believe this innovation will be crucial in shaping the future of AI.”
In Taiwan, UBRI is collaborating with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology to explore the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).
“NKUST is thrilled to embark on this new partnership with Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) to explore the possibilities of Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger,” said Professor Echo Huang of the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology.
In Australia, UBRI has strengthened its collaborations with the Australian National University and established a new partnership with Victoria University, bringing its total funding commitment in the country to $1.3 million.
Beyond the Asia-Pacific region, Ripple has continued to invest in blockchain education globally. In May, the company pledged $25 million in RLUSD—a Ripple-backed stablecoin—to education nonprofits in the United States to help enhance resources for teachers.
Earlier, in March, Ripple announced the launch of a nonprofit organization, the National Cryptocurrency Association, dedicated to advancing crypto education in the U.S. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that the company will provide a $50 million grant to support the initiative.
