Blockchain payments firm Ripple is investing more money into blockchain innovation in the APAC region through the UBRI (University Blockchain Research Institute), particularly to help develop talent interested in learning more about this field, as per a Ripple press release.
The program is created by Ripple to advance blockchain education and connect with universities and educational institutions to deepen research in this field.
With the new investment, UBRI extends its network to six countries. The UBRI has partnerships in South Korea, Japan, and Singapore, and new grants in Taiwan and Australia. UBRI’s network of partnerships in the APAC region will connect Ripple to multiple universities and educational institutions.
For South Korea, UBRI has renewed a 6-year partnership worth $1.1 million with Korea University and has another partnership with Yonsei University, which was launched last fall.
Joint initiatives with Japanese universities include a renewed partnership with Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo, with grants surpassing $1.5 million.
In Singapore, UBRI already has a strong connection with educational institutions, including a grant to Nanyang Technological University and a renewed commitment to the National University of Singapore, with total funding of over $3 million.
UBRI’s new presence in Taiwan is made solid through a partnership with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, with an initiative that will explore real-world asset tokenisation.
The UBRI is also operating in Australia through a partnership with the Australian National University (ANU), a public university based in the capital, Canberra, and another collaboration with Victoria University, totalling investment in Australian universities at $1.3 million.
“Asia-Pacific has long been a hub of fintech and blockchain innovation, and Ripple has been proud to invest in the region’s academic talent from the very beginning,” said Eric Van Miltenburg, who is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Ripple.
“Seven years into UBRI and with 60 university partners globally, we’ve seen firsthand the impact of long-term, trusted collaboration with these institutions. Strengthening existing partnerships—and welcoming new ones—reflects our continued commitment to supporting the talent and ideas shaping the future of blockchain on the XRP Ledger and at global scale,” he added.
