Ripple scores another hit in the Middle East

Another week, another partner

Not a week goes by without Ripple securing a new strategic partnership for its crypto-based international payments platform and, every week, we report it to you. The week before the last one was particularly good for Ripple (with the Saudi Monetary authority announcing its support for mass adoption in both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates).

Last week hasn’t been any different, as the news got in. This time it’s the Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait who announced a partnership with Ripple that will enable them to offer instantly settled cross-border payments.

ABK declared itself to be one of the few Kuwaiti financial institutions that will use Ripple’s technology to bring transaction times from days to minutes, fees from dollars to cents. That’s what’s at the heart of this partnership.

The announcement was published last Thursday. It’s the first step in ABK’s adoption of Ripple’s tech that will allow the bank to give its customers immediate confirmations and a secure procedure.

So now, immigrant workers in Kuwait will be able to use ABK’s services to send remittances to family, friends and loved ones back in their home countries much more quickly and much more cheaply.

ABK and the Ripple Net

It brings ABK into the RippleNet (Ripple’s partner network) which is a blockchain-based network, decentralized, global, centered around Ripple and its banking partners. The network aims to enable customers from different banks in many countries around the planet to transfer money across borders quickly, cheaply and safely.

Somnath Menon, ABK’s group chief operating officer, has this to say:

“This partnership with Ripple is aligned with our unwavering philosophy of reimagining a simpler bank. We have significant interests in cross border remittances and plan to harness the power of Blockchain technology for making global payments faster and more convenient for our customers”

He continued,

“As smart technologies continue to rapidly transform the financial sector, we remain committed to enhancing our offerings to our customers, and staying ahead of the innovation curve.”

Mr. Navin Gupta, managing director for South Asia and Meta at Ripple also had something to say  “We look forward to supporting ABK’s ongoing efforts to enhance its digital banking services, by providing our innovative blockchain solutions for speedy cross-border payments.”

Ripple and the Islamic financial systems

Ripple keeps making headway into every continent in the world. But unlike many other blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies, Ripple is finding acceptance in the Islamic world which is particularly important because the Islamic financial services and traditions are not always lined up with those we are used to in the Western world.

So Ripple’s tech is turning into something of an ambassador for blockchain technology in the Middle East and other Islamic countries of the world.

And this is not just corporate good news. It’s real-world use cases that can turn Ripple’s XRP (or any other cryptocurrency) into a useful form of money that can achieve mass adoption.

And it’s mass adoption that can change the market’s game because that’s how a coin’s value becomes based in authentic demand, instead of relying on speculative pressure, which is still the main force behind most cryptocurrencies (if not all).

So good news for Ripple is good for the company indeed, but also for crypto at large.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Disclaimer: The presented information is subjected to market condition and may include the very own opinion of the author. Please do your ‘very own’ market research before making any investment in cryptocurrencies. Neither the writer nor the publication (TronWeekly.com) holds any responsibility for your financial loss.