Ripple Renews NYU Abu Dhabi Deal

Ripple is extending its partnership with New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). 

The company’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) will provide financial support for blockchain research and education through 2027.

Reece Merrick, Ripple’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa, announced the renewal on August 12. Merrick has stated that he was pleased to see NYUAD continue strengthening its role as a regional center for blockchain innovation. 

Improving markets with blockchain 

The renewed grant will support work led by NYUAD professors Raša Karapandža and Yaw Nyarko. Their research is focused on determining how decentralized technologies can boost market efficiency and reduce trade barriers. 

Volta Initiative, a key component of the initiative, is a blockchain-based mobile application that is meant to facilitate trade among smallholder farmers in Ghana. 

According to NYUAD, the next phase of the project will expand Volta into additional regions.

The partnership will also support NYUAD’s fintech education and venture-development efforts. Students will be able to design and test blockchain-based applications and early-stage ventures, while researchers will continue conducting practical work on the XRP Ledger.

According to Karapandža, the renewed support would allow NYUAD to combine economic theory with real-world applications. Nyarko added that Ripple’s funding would help researchers examine how blockchain-based systems can democratize access to economic opportunities. 

Ripple Senior Director of University Partnerships Lauren Weymouth described NYUAD as UBRI’s regional hub in the Middle East.

Growing links to Abu Dhabi 

The UAE has long been a major hub for Ripple, which has consistently prioritized development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 

Last November, Ripple announced that its RLUSD stablecoin had received regulatory approval in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The designation made it possible for authorized firms operating under the ADGM framework to use RLUSD.

Abu Dhabi’s importance to the digital-asset industry has also increased. In May, as reported by U.Today, BNY announced a strategic collaboration with Finstreet and ADI Foundation aimed at providing regulated institutional digital-asset custody in ADGM.

Ripple’s UAE strategy, however, extends beyond Abu Dhabi. The company opened a new Middle East and Africa regional headquarters in Dubai’s DIFC in April 2026. XRP was approved for use within the DIFC in 2023.