Metaco

Company background

Ever wondered what happens when Swiss precision meets blockchain ambition? No, it’s not a crypto wristwatch — it’s Metaco. If you missed the memo, Metaco is the kind of company that makes crypto custody look less like a risk and more like a Swiss bank vault… with a PhD in cybersecurity. Founded in 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland — where the cheese is aged and the fintech is fresh — Metaco quickly became a go-to name for digital asset custody, tokenization, and orchestration. And yes, I said orchestration, because managing institutional crypto assets today is more like conducting a symphony than running a spreadsheet.

Before Ripple came knocking in May 2023 with a cool 0 million acquisition deal, Metaco had already established itself as a no-nonsense player in institutional-grade crypto infrastructure. We’re talking Tier-1 banks, asset managers, and global custodians trusting Metaco to hold the keys — literally — to their digital assets. The firm built a reputation for providing secure, compliant, and flexible digital asset custody solutions, enabling financial institutions to integrate crypto without reinventing their entire tech stacks.

Now, let’s pause for a second. Why would Ripple — a company neck-deep in global payments and XRP liquidity — scoop up a custody firm like Metaco? Simple. Ripple’s vision has always been bigger than cross-border remittances. With Metaco onboard, Ripple isn’t just moving money quickly. It’s also securing it, managing it, and making it scalable for the institutional giants who aren’t just dipping their toes into crypto — they’re diving headfirst with billion-dollar portfolios.

Metaco’s flagship product, Harmonize, is more than just a custody platform. It’s a full-stack orchestration layer that allows banks to manage tokenized assets across multiple blockchains — including, of course, the XRP Ledger. It’s modular, API-driven, and designed to slot into existing enterprise systems like it was born there. That’s no small feat. Most legacy systems treat crypto like a virus. Metaco makes it look like a feature upgrade.

And let’s not forget jurisdiction. Switzerland isn’t just famous for chocolate and neutrality; it’s also home to some of the most forward-thinking crypto regulations on the planet. Metaco’s Swiss roots gave it a regulatory edge, allowing it to work with banks that wouldn’t touch crypto with a ten-foot pole… until Metaco showed them the compliance playbook. That’s a rare mix of tech innovation and regulatory finesse — and exactly the kind of credibility Ripple needed to scale XRP adoption in institutional corridors.

With Ripple’s acquisition, Metaco’s capabilities have been supercharged. We’re talking about deep integration into Ripple’s liquidity and payments ecosystem, enabling seamless custody of XRP and other digital assets for institutions that demand bank-grade security. For Ripple and XRP, this isn’t just a strategic move — it’s a structural upgrade.

Let’s be clear: in the world of blockchain finance, custody is king. Without secure custody, all the liquidity in the world is just numbers on a screen. Metaco solved that problem before most people could spell ‘tokenization’. And now, under Ripple’s umbrella, it’s positioned to redefine how the world’s financial infrastructure handles digital value.

Understanding Metaco and Its Impact on XRP

So what does this mean for XRP? In short — validation and velocity. With Metaco in the picture, Ripple has fortified its custody capabilities, paving the way for broader adoption of XRP in institutional trading, treasury management, and cross-border settlement. Financial institutions can now securely store and manage XRP with full confidence, using infrastructure that’s already battle-tested in the world’s most demanding regulatory environments.

By integrating Metaco’s custody platform into its ecosystem, Ripple has unlocked a new level of institutional utility for XRP. This isn’t just about holding digital assets — it’s about orchestrating complex workflows, enabling real-time asset settlement, and integrating with the broader DeFi and tokenization landscape. In other words, XRP isn’t just moving faster and cheaper — it’s moving smarter.

Key advantages of the Ripple-Metaco synergy include:

• Bank-grade security: Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), multi-party computation (MPC), and strict access controls.
• Regulatory alignment: Swiss-compliant infrastructure that meets global financial standards.
• Scalability: Support for multi-asset custody on a single platform, including XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and tokenized assets.
• Integration-ready: Modular APIs and plug-and-play architecture for seamless adoption by banks and fintechs.

In a world where trust is the ultimate currency, Ripple’s acquisition of Metaco signals more than just a business deal — it’s a bet on the future of institutional crypto adoption. And for XRP holders? It’s a bullish sign that the infrastructure is finally catching up to the vision.

At XRPAuthority.com, we’re tracking every twist and turn in the XRP ecosystem — with insights you won’t get from your average crypto blog. Whether you’re a seasoned trader or a fintech innovator eyeing the next wave of blockchain finance, we’ve got your back. Stay tuned, stay sharp, and remember: in the world of crypto, authority matters — and so does your source.

Products and services

Let’s talk shop — because Metaco’s product suite isn’t just impressive, it’s practically a Swiss Army knife for institutional crypto management. At the core of its offering is Harmonize, a platform so modular and interoperable, it makes most legacy banking systems look like dial-up internet. Harmonize enables financial institutions to manage, store, and govern digital assets across multiple blockchains — including the XRP Ledger — all from a single, secure interface. Think of it as the command center where compliance meets convenience, with a touch of cryptographic elegance.

Unlike retail-focused wallets or basic cold storage solutions, Metaco’s tools are designed for enterprise-grade deployments. Harmonize allows for granular policy control, real-time orchestration of assets, and seamless integration into existing core banking and trading systems. It doesn’t just store XRP and other assets — it synchronizes them with treasury operations, settlement workflows, and even token issuance protocols. That’s a game-changer for institutions that need more than just a digital vault — they need a digital asset command center.

Here’s what makes Metaco’s services stand out in a crowded crypto custody landscape:

• Multi-asset support: From XRP and ETH to tokenized securities, Harmonize handles a wide range of digital assets across public and private blockchains.
• Workflow automation: Institutions can define multi-party approval processes, compliance checks, and transaction thresholds — all automated through policy engines.
• Deployment flexibility: On-premise, cloud, or hybrid — you choose. Harmonize adapts to your infrastructure, not the other way around.
• Institutional-grade APIs: Designed for integration into banking systems, trading platforms, and treasury operations with ease and security.

And let’s not overlook the strategic fit with Ripple’s broader ecosystem. With RippleNet already handling cross-border payments and On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) leveraging XRP for instant settlement, Metaco’s services plug directly into this framework. For example, banks using RippleNet can now custody XRP natively within the same infrastructure used for their other digital assets, reducing friction, enhancing security, and enabling real-time compliance.

This level of integration is especially critical as tokenization heats up across global markets. Whether it’s tokenized real estate, carbon credits, or central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), Metaco’s platform provides the scaffolding for managing those assets securely and at scale. And with Ripple’s global reach, Harmonize has the runway to become the backbone of institutional digital asset operations — with XRP playing a central role in liquidity and interoperability.

Partnerships and clients

When your clientele includes Tier-1 banks and global custodians, you’re not just playing in the crypto sandbox — you’re building the sandbox. Metaco’s client roster reads like a who’s who of institutional finance, and that’s no accident. Before Ripple even entered the picture, Metaco had already earned its stripes as the custody solution of choice for institutions that demand military-grade security, regulatory alignment, and seamless integration into legacy systems. Translation? Metaco doesn’t court hype. It courts compliance officers — and wins.

One of Metaco’s most high-profile partnerships is with BBVA Switzerland, one of the first traditional banks in Europe to offer integrated crypto asset services to its private banking clients. Powered by Metaco’s Harmonize platform, BBVA was able to launch secure Bitcoin and Ethereum custody — with XRP now in the pipeline thanks to Ripple’s acquisition. That move wasn’t just about offering crypto exposure; it was about doing so within the framework of a regulated, client-facing banking platform. In other words, real crypto adoption, not just speculation on a screen.

Then there’s Zodia Custody, a joint venture between Standard Chartered and Northern Trust. Zodia tapped Metaco to underpin its institutional custody infrastructure, signaling serious faith from some of the most conservative corners of finance. When banks that manage trillions are trusting Metaco to secure their crypto ventures, it tells you everything you need to know about the platform’s credibility, and by extension, XRP’s growing legitimacy in institutional corridors.

Some of Metaco’s strategic advantages that have attracted top-tier clients include:

• White-label capability: Institutions can brand and customize their digital asset services without reinventing the tech stack.
• Multi-jurisdictional compliance: A flexible architecture that supports legal and regulatory nuances across markets like the EU, UK, and Asia-Pacific.
• Cross-functional integration: Harmonize connects with core banking, trading desks, and treasury systems, enabling a unified view of digital and traditional assets.

And let’s not forget the Ripple effect — pun very much intended. Since Ripple acquired Metaco, the synergy between institutional payments and custody has only deepened. Ripple’s existing relationships with over 300 financial institutions worldwide, including SBI Holdings and Santander, now have direct access to Metaco’s custody infrastructure. That’s a one-two punch of liquidity and security, wrapped in Swiss engineering and XRP-powered efficiency.

What’s particularly exciting is how Ripple can leverage these partnerships to drive XRP’s utility even further. Imagine a future where a bank in Japan uses RippleNet to settle a cross-border payment in seconds, and then uses Metaco’s custody layer to hold those assets securely on the backend — all without leaving the Ripple ecosystem. That’s not just blockchain finance — that’s blockchain infrastructure for the real world.

As more institutions move from pilot programs to full-scale deployment of digital asset services, the demand for proven custody partners like Metaco will only accelerate. And with Ripple steering the ship, XRP is no longer just a bridge currency — it’s becoming the bedrock for institutional-grade blockchain operations. That’s the kind of momentum we live for at XRPAuthority.com, where we keep our finger on the pulse of every strategic move shaping the future of XRP and global fintech.

Security and compliance

If there’s one thing institutional investors fear more than market volatility, it’s a headline with the words “crypto” and “hack” in the same sentence. Enter Metaco — the digital fortress that doesn’t just talk security, it breathes it. From its Swiss roots to its cryptographic core, Metaco was built with one mission: to make crypto custody safer than Fort Knox on a zero-trust protocol. And in the world of XRP and blockchain finance, that kind of paranoia is not only healthy — it’s mandatory.

Metaco’s approach to security is deeply embedded at every layer of its infrastructure. We’re not just talking about password-protected dashboards here. This is enterprise-grade, defense-in-depth architecture. Harmonize, Metaco’s flagship custody platform, leverages Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), multi-party computation (MPC), and role-based access control to ensure that digital assets — including XRP — are protected from both external attacks and internal mishandlings. Each transaction must pass through programmable policy engines that enforce compliance rules and approval workflows as though your compliance officer wrote them personally — because they probably did.

What makes Metaco stand out isn’t just the technology; it’s the certification to back it up. Metaco operates under rigorous international standards, including ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management and ISAE 3402 for operational controls. These aren’t just badges for the website footer — they’re crucial for onboarding institutional clients who won’t even consider a partner without audited, third-party-verified risk controls. And with Ripple’s global footprint now woven into the mix, these standards aren’t just upheld — they’re elevated.

From a compliance standpoint, Metaco is essentially the Swiss Army knife of regulatory alignment. Their platform is designed to adapt to diverse legal frameworks — whether it’s the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, the UK’s evolving digital asset guidelines, or the rigorous licensing requirements in Singapore. This global readiness is a key differentiator, and it’s one of the reasons Ripple’s acquisition of Metaco was a masterstroke. XRP’s institutional adoption hinges not just on speed and cost-efficiency, but also on the ability to operate within compliant, regulated environments — and Metaco makes that possible at scale.

Some of the standout compliance features that make Metaco a gold standard in custody include:

• Fine-grained governance controls: Define who can access what, when, and how — with cryptographic enforcement.
• Auditability: Full transaction traceability with immutable logs, ensuring every action is recorded and reviewable.
• Real-time compliance monitoring: Custom rules and alerts to flag suspicious activity — before it becomes a problem.
• Smart contract support: Execute policy-driven interactions with DeFi protocols and tokenized assets — securely and compliantly.

And let’s not ignore the elephant in the blockchain: regulatory scrutiny. As governments and financial watchdogs continue to sharpen their gaze on digital assets, having a custody provider that’s already built for compliance isn’t just an advantage — it’s a lifeline. Metaco’s infrastructure ensures that XRP and other assets can be handled in full accordance with both current and upcoming regulations, giving institutions the confidence to scale their crypto strategies without legal landmines.

In a space where one misstep can lead to frozen assets or worse, Metaco brings the kind of operational integrity that allows XRP to thrive in the most demanding institutional environments. It’s not just about avoiding risk — it’s about enabling growth, securely. With Ripple’s backing and Metaco’s bulletproof architecture, XRP is no longer just a fast, efficient digital asset — it’s a fully compliant, custody-ready solution for the future of finance.