Ethereum (ETH) Dominates Ripple USD (RLUSD) Market Share, Dampening the Anticipated Positive Effects of the Stablecoin on XRP

There’s a huge discrepancy in Ripple USD (RLUSD) distribution between the Ethereum (ETH) and XRP Ledger (XRPL) chains.

Pseudonymous Vet on X, the founder of XRP Cafe, recently shared some interesting data regarding the distribution of Ripple USD (RLUSD) across the Ethereum (ETH) and XRP Ledger (XRPL) chains.

According to the data, the largest blockchain in terms of total value locked (TVL) processed $61,823,274 worth of the stablecoin as of January 9, 2025. In contrast, the numbers for XRPL stood at $21,995,883.

This 1:3 ratio indicates a clear preference among users for stablecoins issued on the Ethereum chain. The trend may come as a disappointment to those hoping that RLUSD would jumpstart the XRPL’s use cases and drive up the value of its native token, XRP.

As a reminder, RLUSD is designed to complement XRP’s burn mechanics by utilizing the crypto asset in its fees. Any XRP collected in this manner is burned, effectively removing it from circulation and making the token deflationary.

However, with Ethereum dominating RLUSD issuance, the anticipated positive effects of the stablecoin on XRP are somewhat diminished. Additionally, the disparity in RLUSD transaction volume highlights the competitive edge that Ethereum holds over XRPL, especially considering the former's chain is more battle-tested, secure, reliable, and interoperable, making it the top choice for decentralized finance (DeFi).

On the other hand, the data also reveals a strong overall demand for RLUSD in the market, despite its limited availability on crypto exchanges at the time of its launch.

Currently, only Uphold, Bitso, Moonpay, Archax, and CoinMENA trading platforms offer RLUSD. However, Bullish, Bitstamp, Mercado Bitcoin, Independent Reserve, and Zero Hash have confirmed that they will be listing the digital asset soon.

In an interview, Ripple President Monica Long stated that they are working to ensure RLUSD's “imminent” rollout on larger crypto platforms.

With RLUSD poised to compete against established stablecoins like Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC, Long anticipates that the stablecoin market will grow to $3 trillion by 2028, and Ripple's product is positioned to contribute significantly to these projections.