XRP Asia launches to push XRP Ledger adoption across the region

The XRP Ledger now has a dedicated regional cheerleader. XRP Asia has officially launched with a mission to promote growth and adoption of the XRP Ledger, or XRPL, across Asia.

XRP Asia is led by President Sabrina Tachdjian. She joins from the Hedera Foundation, where she served as VP of Fintech & Payments.

Seoul gets the first big stage

XRP Asia’s first major public moment is already scheduled. Tachdjian is set to speak at an event titled “Special Announcement: What’s Coming Next for the XRP Ecosystem in Asia.”

The session is slated for October 3, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul during Korea Blockchain Week. It will be co-presented with Tatsuya Kohrogi of Ripple.

South Korean institutions including Woori Bank and Kakao Bank are slated to participate in the XRP Seoul event.

Discussion topics are expected to cover cross-border payments and tokenized deposits. Think of a tokenized deposit as an ordinary bank balance that has been given a digital twin on a blockchain. The money is still a bank deposit, but it can move with the speed and programmability of a crypto token.

Japan already has a head start

Ripple already has a notable regional foothold through SBI Ripple Asia, a joint venture between SBI Holdings and Ripple.

SBI Ripple Asia’s token issuance platform was registered under Japan’s Fund Settlement Act on March 26, 2026. Registration under it gives the platform an official stamp to operate.

The regulatory green light was followed by an announcement in early April 2026 that development of the full platform was complete.

Daily XRP trading on leading South Korean exchanges such as Upbit has surpassed the volumes recorded on several major global platforms.

Upgrades on the technical side

The XRPL itself is also due for changes around the same window. Upcoming protocol upgrades named Batch and Permission Delegation are planned for early October 2026.

What this means

A dedicated body, a Ripple executive on stage, and two Korean banks in attendance form a clearer institutional narrative than XRP has historically had in Asia.

Tachdjian’s move from the Hedera Foundation to XRP Asia illustrates how competitive the race for institutional blockchain business has become.

Japan’s Fund Settlement Act registration for SBI Ripple Asia shows that a compliant path exists in at least one major Asian market.

The key dates to circle are early October 2026, when the Batch and Permission Delegation upgrades are planned, and October 3, 2026, when the Seoul announcement is set to take place.

Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.