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Gary McFarlane
Acting editor-in-chief
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The Ripple XRP price could explode soon after today’s announcement of a first-of-its-kind partnership with UK-based global asset manager Aviva Investors, bringing tokenized assets to traditional fund structures.
The news comes on the back of heightened institutional activity around the tokenization of real-world assets. US online brokerage Robinhood revealed yesterday on its Q4 2025 earnings call that it was rolling out its own blockchain to host tokenized financial assets.
The Ripple-Aviva Investors partnership marks a significant milestone in the UK’s growing embrace of decentralized finance by traditional financial institutions.
It will enable Aviva to issue and manage tokenized funds using fast, secure, energy-efficient, and low-cost blockchain transactions on the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
The collaboration is Ripple’s first with an investment management business based in Europe, building on the firm’s significant experience working with financial institutions in other regions.
Ripple will support Aviva Investors with the initiative as part of its broader effort to bring traditional financial assets with real utility to the XRP Ledger – a decentralized, open-source, public blockchain designed for fast, efficient global financial transactions.
Aviva Investors homes in on the “many benefits that tokenization can bring”
Commenting on the partnership, Jill Barber, Chief Distribution Officer at Aviva Investors, said: “We believe there are many benefits that tokenization can bring to investors, including improvements in terms of both time and cost efficiency.
“As the investment arm of the UK’s leading insurer, we have a long track record with regard to innovation. We are committed to adopting technological advancements that we believe can bring about positive change for our business, and we think tokenised funds can be hugely beneficial to our clients.”
Jill Barber, Chief Distribution Officer at Aviva Investors
The collaboration is Ripple’s first with an investment management business based in Europe, building upon the firm’s significant experience working with financial institutions in other regions.
The initiative is also the first of its kind for Aviva Investors, as it seeks to incorporate tokenized solutions into its existing product offering.
According to the partners, the collaboration is anchored in a shared long-term vision, with both parties set to work together closely over 2026 and beyond to bring tokenized funds to the XRP Ledger.
Nigel Khakoo, Vice President, Trading and Markets at Ripple, heralded the partnership as a significant adoption milestone for the tokenization journey.
“Tokenization is now moving from experimentation to large-scale production. Institutions like Aviva Investors are now focused on how to deploy regulated financial assets at scale,” says Khakoo.
“The development of tokenised fund structures is one that we believe can bring huge technological efficiencies to the investment sector, and we expect this to take full effect over the next decade.”Nigel Khakoo, Vice President, Trading and Markets at Ripple
XRP Ledger a game-changer? Fast, secure and low cost
The XRPL blockchain will enable Aviva Investors to issue and manage its tokenized funds using fast, secure, low-cost blockchain transactions, with the lack of mining required to settle transactions expected to support energy efficiency. It offers a set of features, including compliance capabilities, designed to support financial institutions operating in regulated markets.
According to Ripple, since 2012, the XRPL network has processed more than 4 billion transactions and supports over 7 million active wallets. The blockchain is maintained by 120 independent validators.
XRP is the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger and, as such, is fundamental to its operation.
Khakoo adds, “With its built-in compliance tools, near-instant settlement, and native liquidity, the XRPL provides the secure and scalable infrastructure required to support the next generation of institutional assets.”
Although XRPL is a public blockchain, a permissioned implementation was introduced this month via the so-called XLS-80 Amendment, enabling the creation of permissioned zones.
Cryptonews asked Aviva Investors whether it would be using this technology.
We also asked which funds are likely to be tokenized first, whether any regulatory hurdles are envisaged, and what the legal status of the tokenized funds will be.
However, the Aviva team “do not have any further details to share” on any of those questions at this time.
Still, the latest news will bolster bullish conviction in the XRP price at a time when confidence in many crypto assets is waning.
Watch this space.
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