Ripple expands into Australia, but XRP struggles to keep up – Why?

Ripple has announced plans to acquire BC Payments and secure an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL). 

This move was more than simply adding another license to Ripple’s portfolio of over 75 global approvals. Instead, it is positioning itself to reduce the reliance on traditional intermediaries that usually slow down cross-border payments in the Asia-Pacific region.

This step also signals a shift in Ripple’s strategy after its long legal fight with the U.S. SEC ended in August 2025.

The secret behind choosing Australia

Australia has become a key focus for Ripple as the country tightens regulations for foreign crypto firms and requires proper licensing by June 2026.

Instead of applying for a new license, Ripple plans to acquire BC Payments Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Banking Circle Group that already holds an AFSL. 

This allows Ripple to enter the market faster and shift from being just a technology provider for banks to operating as a regulated payment provider itself. 

Remarking on the same, Fiona Murray, Managing Director of Asia Pacific for Ripple, said, 

She added, 

With the AFSL, Ripple can manage the entire payment process, from onboarding and compliance to foreign exchange and final settlement, reducing reliance on intermediaries. 

For Australian firms like Novatti Group, Independent Reserve, and Flash Payments, this could simplify cross-border payments through a single integrated system while lowering delays and counterparty risk.

XRP struggles to hold on

Even though Ripple is expanding aggressively and securing licenses around the world, XRP’s price performance is telling a different story.

As of mid-March 2026, XRP has struggled to hold its value and was trading around $1.37 at press time, far below its peak from July 2025. On-chain data also shows mixed signals. 

At times, the number of active addresses jumps to 60,000–70,000, which might look like strong growth. However, these spikes usually don’t last long and quickly fall back to around 35,000–45,000. 

This pattern suggests that much of the activity is likely coming from exchange transfers or short-term speculation rather than steady growth in real users or institutions. 

XRP’s price volatility has also been driven by derivatives trading. 

Recent rallies were fueled largely by leveraged Futures positions rather than Spot demand, with Open Interest rising to nearly $10 billion at the peak before falling back to around $2 billion as the market cooled.

However, institutional behavior tells a different story. Despite the price decline, data from Bloomberg and SoSoValue show XRP ETFs recording over $1.4 billion in inflows since their launch last year, indicating sustained investor interest.

Final Summary 

• Australia’s tightening regulatory framework may actually benefit Ripple, as its compliance-first approach gives it an advantage over less-regulated competitors.
• Short-lived spikes in active addresses suggest that the network is still struggling to achieve consistent organic growth.