Ripple has announced a partnership with South Korean brokerage Meritz Securities to explore digital asset custody and tokenization in South Korea, marking the company's fourth institutional partnership in the country in 2026 and its first with a local securities firm. The development comes as XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger, remains below several recovery levels following a recent price decline.

Meritz Securities to Study Custody and Tokenization

Ripple and Meritz Securities announced their agreement on October 14, according to Ripple's official announcement. The two firms will study how Ripple Custody and Ripple's tokenization infrastructure could serve Korean capital markets. Ripple Custody enables financial institutions to store, transfer, and settle digital assets while retaining control over their operations.

The collaboration will begin with Meritz's existing securities activities and South Korea's current regulatory framework, with both firms planning to expand their work as the country's digital asset rules develop. Neither company has announced a launch date, and neither has confirmed that Meritz would use XRP for settlement of transactions.

Meritz has also been examining spot exchange-traded funds, fractional investments, security tokens, and trading platforms, with broader plans that include stablecoins denominated in the Korean won. The partnership gives the brokerage access to Ripple's infrastructure as it evaluates these services. Ripple says its payments and custody network spans more than 60 markets and holds over 85 licenses.

Ripple's Expanding Footprint in Korean Banking and Insurance

The Meritz agreement follows three other institutional partnerships Ripple announced in South Korea this year, involving Kyobo Life Insurance, Kbank, and Jeonbuk Bank.

Kyobo Life Insurance uses Ripple Custody for a project involving tokenized government bond settlement. Kbank is deploying digital asset wallet infrastructure built on Ripple Custody. Jeonbuk Bank adopted Ripple Payments for cross-border remittances, becoming the first Korean regional bank to use the service. With the Meritz deal, Ripple now works with institutions across Korea's insurance, banking, and securities sectors.

Fiona Murray, Ripple's Asia Pacific managing director, said Korean institutions are moving toward practical digital asset services. Meritz executive Byungha Kang said the brokerage will prepare its offerings in stages as regulations change.

Privy Partnership Adds XRP Ledger Wallet Tools

Separately, Ripple announced a partnership with Privy, the wallet infrastructure company owned by Stripe. As described in Privy's blog post, Privy plans to support the XRP Ledger through tools that let developers create and manage wallets inside their applications and sign transactions without building their own wallet systems.

The integration will support XRP, Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin, and other assets issued on the XRP Ledger. Payment companies and fintech developers could use these tools to build applications that handle digital assets without requiring customers to manage separate wallets.

XRP Price: Key Resistance and Support Levels

XRP traded near $1.32 on Wednesday, according to TradingView data, after falling 2% in 24 hours during its recent correction. The token faces initial resistance around $1.381, a level that previously served as a downside target. A sustained move above $1.38 would bring the 50-day simple moving average near $1.425 into focus.

On the downside, technical analysis places the 200-day moving average, a widely watched long-term trend indicator, near $1.282. Another analyst identified $1.30 as a support floor and $1.50 as a larger resistance barrier. That analyst outlined $1.80 and $2.00 as possible upside levels following a break above $1.50, while flagging $1.00 as a lower support level should $1.30 fail.

Macro Backdrop: U.S. Inflation Data

U.S. inflation data added another market factor on October 14. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, September consumer prices rose 3.7% annually, up from 3.4% in August. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, reached 2.6% annually in September, according to the government figures.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.

This article was originally published on The Market Periodical.