AMINA Bank has carved out a notable first in the stablecoin landscape, becoming the inaugural global banking institution to offer custody and trading services for Ripple’s RLUSD—a development that launched July 3, 2025, with the kind of fanfare typically reserved for central bank announcements rather than what amounts to glorified digital dollar storage.
The Swiss-regulated institution’s entry into RLUSD custody represents a calculated bet on the $250 billion stablecoin market, targeting institutional and professional investors who apparently require traditional banking infrastructure to feel comfortable holding tokenized dollars.
Market response proved immediate and predictable: RLUSD’s market capitalization jumped over 3% within 24 hours, while daily trading volume surged 28.2% to $45.6 million—figures that suggest either genuine institutional appetite or the usual crypto market enthusiasm for anything remotely resembling regulatory validation.
RLUSD’s current supply of approximately $430 million reflects growing acceptance, though this pales against established competitors who’ve managed to convince investors that their particular flavor of dollar-pegged tokens deserves trillion-dollar valuations.
The announcement also lifted XRP by 3.86% to $2.27, demonstrating the market’s tendency to reward anything that might legitimize Ripple’s broader ecosystem ambitions.
Perhaps most intriguingly, Ripple has applied for a national bank charter with the OCC, seeking dual regulatory oversight that would position RLUSD among the first stablecoins with direct central bank reserve access.
This regulatory gambit—should it survive the inevitable 12-month review process examining everything from capitalization to risk controls—could establish new compliance benchmarks for an industry that’s spent years arguing regulation stifles innovation. The crypto landscape is transitioning from speculation to tangible utility, with institutional adoption driving meaningful growth across the sector.
AMINA Bank’s partnership with OpenPayd enables direct minting and burning capabilities, providing the operational infrastructure necessary for professional-grade liquidity management.
The arrangement positions AMINA as a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain-based stablecoin ecosystems, though whether this represents genuine financial evolution or expensive theater remains to be determined.
The bank’s proactive stance reflects broader institutional trends favoring digital asset integration, leveraging Swiss regulatory compliance to attract clients seeking regulated stablecoin exposure—because apparently holding actual dollars has become insufficiently sophisticated for modern portfolio management. Industry analysts project stablecoin trading volumes could reach $100 billion daily by 2025, driven by increasing institutional adoption and mainstream financial integration. The move comes as whale demand continues to return across the broader crypto market, contributing to increased institutional buying pressure.
