Ripple Share Buyback Targets $750M Through April

Ripple plans to buy back $750 million in shares from investors and employees through April. The ripple share buyback program values the company at $50 billion, according to Bloomberg Wednesday. That’s 25% higher than the valuation after its November funding round.

The tender offer runs through April. Ripple raised $500 million in November 2025. That round valued the company at roughly $40 billion. Four months later, the company’s buying back shares at a significantly higher price.

Monica Long, Ripple’s president, said in November the company had no plans to go public. The buyback supports that stance. Private companies run tender offers to provide liquidity without listing shares on public exchanges.

The ripple share buyback follows aggressive expansion beyond crypto. Ripple acquired Hidden Road for $1.2 billion in October. Hidden Road is a non-bank prime broker. The company also bought GTreasury, a treasury management system provider, in the same month.

Ripple announced plans this week to pursue a financial services license in Australia through acquisition of a local payments firm. The company’s pushing into regulated financial services across multiple jurisdictions.

On Monday, Ripple reported processing over $100 billion in transactions. Its stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), crossed $1 billion in market cap since launching in December 2024. The operational metrics show growth even as XRP’s price crashed.

XRP fell 53% over the past six months. The token traded at $1.39 Wednesday. Down from roughly $3 in September. Ripple’s business expansion hasn’t translated to XRP price strength.

Private share price dropped too. Data from Forge Global showed Ripple’s private shares down more than 9% as of Wednesday. That’s before the buyback announcement. The tender offer at $50 billion valuation sits well above current secondary market pricing.

Why the ripple share buyback now? Ripple’s generating cash from operations and raised $500 million four months ago. The company’s rewarding early investors and employees with liquidity. It’s also signaling confidence in the $50 billion valuation despite XRP’s decline and private share weakness.

I’ve seen this pattern before. Private crypto companies run buybacks when they’re cash-rich but don’t want to IPO. Coinbase did tender offers pre-IPO. Kraken’s done multiple buybacks. Standard playbook for late-stage private companies.

The buyback comes as Ripple builds a traditional financial services business. In December, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency conditionally approved Ripple for a national trust bank charter. The application specifically stated the charter would “not be a stablecoin issuer” for RLUSD.

That’s an interesting distinction. Ripple’s separating its banking operations from its stablecoin business. The trust charter enables custody and payment services without triggering stablecoin issuer regulations.

Ripple’s strategy is clear: transition from crypto company to regulated financial services provider. The Hidden Road acquisition brought prime brokerage capabilities. GTreasury added corporate treasury management. The Australian license targets Asia-Pacific payments. The US trust charter unlocks domestic banking services.

The $750 million buyback funds that transition. It keeps employees and investors happy while the company builds infrastructure that doesn’t depend on XRP price.

Not ideal for XRP holders. The token’s down 53% while Ripple’s valuation climbs 25%. That divergence tells you everything. Ripple’s business success doesn’t require XRP price appreciation. The company’s revenue comes from enterprise payments and financial services, not token holdings.

Forge Global’s 9% drop in private shares suggests secondary market investors weren’t pricing in a $50 billion valuation. The tender offer creates a floor. Shareholders now have the option to exit at the higher valuation or hold for further upside.

Question is whether Ripple can sustain $50 billion without going public. The company processed $100 billion in transactions and operates a $1 billion stablecoin. But it’s still private, limiting transparency into actual revenue and profitability.

Most $50 billion companies are public. Stripe delayed IPO for years but eventually filed. Coinbase went public at $85 billion valuation in 2021. Ripple’s insisting it won’t follow that path. The buyback provides liquidity without the scrutiny and regulatory requirements of public markets.

For now, Ripple’s playing the long game. Building regulated infrastructure. Acquiring strategic assets. Rewarding shareholders through tender offers instead of IPO. The ripple share buyback proves the company has capital and confidence. Whether that confidence is justified depends on execution over the next 12-24 months.

Tender offer closes in April. That’s when we’ll see how many shareholders cash out versus hold for higher valuations. High participation suggests skepticism about $50 billion. Low participation means investors believe there’s more upside. All eyes on the tender results.