Ripple, a provider of enterprise blockchain solutions for payments, announced on Tuesday it is expanding its South America footprint by opening operations in Brazil. As part of the new location’s launch, Ripple reported it is bringing on Luiz Antonio Sacco as managing director to drive strategy and build the company’s ecosystem in the region.
While sharing more details about the expansion, Eric van Miltenburg, SVP of Global Operations at Ripple, stated:
“In January, Ripple surpassed 200 customers on RippleNet. The company is experiencing rapid customer growth across all markets, and is launching in Brazil in response to high customer demand in South America. We are fortunate to have Luiz on board to expand our presence in the region and help our customers address the challenges of cross-border payments.”
Sacco also reported:
“We’re excited to grow our ecosystem in the region and bring additional financial institutions onto RippleNet to help provide excellent, efficient cross-border payment experiences for their customers. Brazil is a leader in fintech innovation and positioned to forge a path for the rest of South America to follow.”
Ripple then revealed it is experiencing dramatic growth and is adding an average of two to three new financial institutions to RippleNet each week. The platform added:
“Ripple’s efforts in Brazil go beyond delivering software solutions to financial institutions. Consistent with its history as a mission driven company, last year Ripple launched the University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) to support academic research, technical development and innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments. Ripple committed resources to top tier Brazilian universities, including University of São Paulo and Fundação Getulio Vargas. The company is working with over fifteen professors at USP and FGV to help support academic research and technical development across disciplines including law, business and engineering.”