XRP Ledger has recorded a 875% increase in real-world asset, or RWA, transaction activity, with total volume approaching $2.5 billion. Speaking at the 2026 Digital Assets Forum, Odelia Torteman said DeFi has moved beyond its experimental phase and now functions as an “interface” connecting banks, financial institutions, and transfers across borders and asset classes.
She described XRP Ledger as a network built for transparent, multi-asset transfers and said it now sits at the center of that shift. In her view, the market is moving past treating XRP Ledger as a tool used only for crypto, and is starting to recognize it as part of the base infrastructure for global asset movement.
Institutional-scale tokenized assets are appearing on-chain
The report says the rise in RWA activity on XRP Ledger is more than a burst of market attention. It suggests that tokenized assets at corporate scale are now being transacted on-chain in practical settings. Torteman’s comments frame this as a sign that blockchain rails are beginning to support more concrete financial operations rather than remaining inside the crypto sector alone.
The article also names Mastercard, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton among the major financial players choosing or adopting XRP Ledger. The cited reasons include faster payments, lower costs, and greater transparency than conventional systems. As larger asset operations move onto the network, attention toward the surrounding blockchain infrastructure is also increasing.
Japan case points to a new payments test in Asia
Momentum is not limited to Western markets. The report says a major travel company in Japan is preparing to connect its prepaid spending system to XRP Ledger for a domestic market estimated at 30 trillion yen. If that effort succeeds, blockchain infrastructure could see one of its first broad uses in routine consumer payments.
The article adds that blockchain networks have long promoted financial innovation but struggled to secure broad institutional backing. With DeFi becoming more mature and regulation appearing clearer, larger firms are making firmer moves. Torteman said that if DeFi becomes the middleware of global markets, blockchains such as XRP Ledger may serve as the invisible backbone underneath it.