- Ripple Prime has been shortlisted in multiple categories at the Hedgeweek US Awards 2026.
- Higgins believes falling prices don’t automatically mean big investors are backing away.
- Ripple Prime also takes BTC, US Treasuries, fiat currencies, and gold as collateral.
Mike Higgins, International CEO of Ripple Prime, announced that Ripple Prime has been shortlisted in multiple categories at the Hedgeweek US Awards 2026, including Prime Broker of the Year, Client Service, Specialist Markets, Start-up & Emerging Managers, and Technology.
This recognition is notable since Ripple Prime is operating in a space that’s usually dominated by traditional finance firms, offering services like custody, collateral management, financing, trade execution, settlement, and access to different trading platforms.
Additionally, in an interview, Higgins made an interesting point, saying that the current crypto winter is not a digital asset winter. He argues that falling prices don’t automatically mean big investors are backing away. What’s really happening is that financial markets are shifting toward 24/7 trading, which calls for always-on blockchain infrastructure to make that work. Higgins sees Ripple Prime leading the way.
The XRP Collateral Development
Ripple Prime is reportedly enabling institutions to use XRP as collateral without selling it. Institutions can now hold XRP, put it as collateral with Ripple Prime, get dollar credit in exchange, and use that credit to trade CME futures without ever having to sell any of their XRP.
This is important because historically, if an institution wanted cash from its crypto, it normally had to sell, pay taxes, and miss out on any future price gains. By using XRP as collateral rather than selling it, institutions may be able to preserve their long-term market exposure.
Ripple Prime also takes all kinds of collateral apart from XRP, such as Bitcoin, US Treasuries, fiat currencies, gold, and even BlackRock money market funds. In doing so, digital assets are being treated just like traditional investments when it comes to collateral.
As for XRP itself, being used more widely as collateral by big financial players could become useful for a lot more than just payments. Potentially, XRP may be utilized for collateral management, derivatives trading, institutional lending, managing cash flow, or similar use cases.
However, more use cases don’t automatically mean a higher price, but it could help build stronger, long-term demand by making XRP a more established part of the financial system.
Related: Ripple Prime Secures $200M Debt Facility for Margin Lending Expansion
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