Ripple invests in Flutterwave’s Series E round, valuing the African PSP at $3.2bn

Flutterwave has added Ripple to its Series E cap table, and the strategic angle is doing most of the work here: RLUSD, the XRP Ledger (XRPL), and Ripple Payments are being wired into Flutterwave’s stack. For high-risk PSPs watching African corridors, this is a live example of stablecoins moving from side project to settlement rail.

1. Ripple’s investment is part of Flutterwave’s Series E round, which values the company at $3.2bn. Flutterwave described the deal as one piece of a broader fundraise, with more strategic announcements expected in the coming months.
2. The integration has three parts: RLUSD, Ripple’s USD-denominated stablecoin, will be embedded into Flutterwave’s payment rails and Send App remittance corridors as a primary settlement asset for high-volume channels; the XRPL will be used for faster transaction clearing; and a unified API will connect Flutterwave’s domestic network with Ripple Payments.
3. The practical pitch is straightforward: combine local cards, mobile wallets, and bank transfers with Ripple’s enterprise blockchain infrastructure to cut multi-day settlement delays and elevated foreign exchange margins. The stated replacement is real-time settlement, guaranteed liquidity, and predictable pricing.
4. Flutterwave says it provides payments infrastructure across Africa, has raised more than $500m to date, and has processed over one billion transactions valued at more than $50bn. The company says the latest integration follows a multi-year roadmap to bridge traditional financial systems with digital asset infrastructure.
5. Ripple managing director, MEA Reece Merrick, said the investment will establish RLUSD within Flutterwave’s infrastructure and deepen its role as a settlement layer for real-world payments across the continent. Flutterwave founder and CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola said the deal will help scale stablecoin-enabled payments and expand lower-cost cross-border payments.

One detail that matters for operators: Flutterwave says it wants to position Nigeria as a hub for global digital asset trade. For PSPs, acquirers, and banking partners active in Africa, that is not just branding; it is a signal about where settlement infrastructure and regulatory gravity are being pushed.