Real Estate is in Ripple’s Crosshairs

Ripple is rapidly evolving its tokenisation strategy, positioning itself at the forefront of a global transformation in real estate and financial markets. Through a series of high-profile pilots, Ripple is leveraging the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and its new EVM-compatible sidechain to tokenise real-world assets (RWAs)—with a particular focus on real estate, a market valued at over $613 trillion globally.

Capturing even 10% of that market for tokenisation would represent over $61 trillion in potential on-chain value—an extraordinary leap in transaction volume for XRPL and its EVM infrastructure. For context, the total crypto market capitalisation currently sits just below US$4 trillion.

In breaking news, Ripple has partnered with UK–UAE infrastructure firm CTRL-ALT to tokenise Dubai real estate on XRPL. CTRL-ALT specialises in converting RWAs into compliant on-chain tokens, adding further credibility to Ripple’s ambitions in this space. This follows Ripple’s involvement in a broader Hong Kong CBDC pilot program.

In Hong Kong, Ripple, Fubon Bank, and Kodelab are pioneering a project that combines tokenised real estate with simulated CBDCs to support mortgage lending. These pilots aim to streamline property transactions, enhance transparency, and enable programmable finance—use cases that could significantly increase the utility of XRP as a settlement token.

Ripple’s growing ecosystem of partners is reinforcing institutional trust, particularly among central banks in Asia and the Middle East. The ongoing collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority points to increasing confidence in XRPL-powered solutions. These developments signal a broader strategic pivot for Ripple—moving beyond cross-border payments and deeper into next-generation financial infrastructure.

Given Hong Kong’s status as both a gateway to China and a policy testing ground for Beijing—under the “one country, two systems” model—this Ripple–Hong Kong–CBDC–real estate pilot may well be part of a larger strategy involving the Chinese government. With China’s ongoing real estate challenges—including overbuilding, high corporate debt, weak demand, and rising financial instability—such solutions could be timely. The connections are speculative for now, but they’re worth watching.

Closer to home, Australia’s Project Acacia is another example of this shift toward tokenisation. The initiative explores how digital money and tokenised assets could reshape the wholesale financial sector. It includes trials using platforms like Hedera, R3 Corda, Redbelly Network, Canvas Connect, and EVM-compatible chains such as XRPL. Economic modelling from the RBA suggests tokenisation could generate up to US$19 billion in annual gains—highlighting its macroeconomic potential.

If even a small fraction of global real estate is brought on-chain, the resulting demand for digital assets used as liquidity bridges, gas, or settlement tokens could rise sharply. Ripple’s multi-layered approach—combining RWA tokenisation, central bank partnerships, and EVM interoperability—positions XRP as a potentially central player in a future multi-trillion dollar, blockchain-powered economy.