Digital payment network and protocol Ripple announced the launch of “Unlocking Opportunity” as the next phase of its partnership with Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV), aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. The initiative focuses on developing solutions for financial resilience using blockchain and fintech technologies.
MCV is the impact investing arm of Mercy Corps, a globally recognized development and humanitarian organization. It has extensive visibility into high-impact startups across frontier markets, evaluating over 1,500 startups annually and backing founders whose products address key financial inclusion challenges.
The expanded partnership will provide both financial and technical support from Ripple to fintech companies and SMEs, including those utilizing the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ripple’s products like the forthcoming Ripple USD stablecoin (RLUSD). The partnership will target financial inclusion use cases such as savings, remittances, micropayments, and tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs).
Ripple has committed more than $5.5 million to support Mercy Corps Ventures in driving transformative and scalable solutions.
‘Unlocking Opportunity’ Launches With Crypto For Good Fund, Offering Up To $100,000
The “Unlocking Opportunity” initiative begins with MCV’s latest Crypto for Good Fund, which provides equity-free grants of up to $100,000 to support real-world Web3 use cases in the Global South. The fund focuses on areas such as decentralized finance (DeFi) loans, tokenization of RWAs, savings and payments solutions, and stablecoins for humanitarian aid delivery. Applications for the Crypto for Good Fund are currently open.
On December 3rd, Mercy Corps Ventures and XRPL Commons will host an informational webinar for builders interested in using the XRP Ledger in their submissions to the Crypto for Good Fund. With its low transaction costs, scalability, and upcoming Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) sidechain launch, XRPL is an ideal platform for fintechs developing affordable and accessible financial solutions.
Previous projects funded through the Crypto for Good Fund include Ejara’s tokenization of Cameroonian government bonds, which helped provide a low-risk, high-yield savings product for unbanked micro, small, and medium enterprises, reaching over 11,000 savers during the pilot phase. Another notable project was a climate risk financing pilot by DIVA Donate, which used stablecoins, smart contracts, and cryptocurrency rails to provide financial support to farmers in the Horn of Africa.
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