Metaco

Company overview

Ever tried explaining crypto custody to your grandma? Yeah, me neither. But in the world of blockchain finance, secure storage isn’t just a technical detail—it’s the backbone of trust. And when Ripple shelled out a cool 0 million in May 2023 to acquire Swiss-based Metaco, it wasn’t just flexing its checkbook. This was a precision move in the high-stakes chess game of institutional crypto adoption. Because if XRP is going to be the rails of global finance, it needs a vault worthy of Fort Knox—digitally speaking.

So, what’s the big deal with Metaco? Think of it as the armored truck behind Ripple’s ecosystem. Based in Switzerland—where financial privacy is practically a national sport—Metaco made its name by offering top-tier digital asset custody solutions. Not just hot wallets and cold storage, but full-spectrum, enterprise-grade infrastructure that lets banks, asset managers, and corporates hold crypto securely while staying compliant. Basically, Metaco is the adult in the room when it comes to crypto custody.

Now, if you’re picturing a bunch of Swiss engineers in lab coats whispering about elliptic curve cryptography, you’re not far off. Metaco’s tech is as robust as it gets, built for institutions that can’t afford to lose a satoshi—let alone millions in digital assets. It’s not just about storing private keys; it’s about orchestrating secure workflows, managing governance policies, and integrating seamlessly with existing core banking systems. In other words, it’s crypto custody that banks can actually use without breaking a sweat.

And that’s precisely why Ripple wanted in. RippleNet’s growing suite of services—from cross-border payments to on-demand liquidity—needed an institutional-grade custody layer to scale. By acquiring Metaco, Ripple didn’t just gain custody tech—it gained a strategic European foothold, a seasoned team, and a way to offer XRP custody with the kind of security that regulators and CFOs can sleep well with.

Let’s not forget that Metaco wasn’t some startup flying under the radar. Before the acquisition, it was already working with top-tier financial institutions and central banks. That kind of client list doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a testament to the company’s credibility in a space where trust is everything and one misstep can be catastrophic.

For XRP holders and Ripple watchers, this acquisition is more than just a headline—it’s a signal. Ripple is doubling down on infrastructure, aiming to lock down every layer of the digital asset stack. And Metaco? It’s the key to turning XRP from a trading token into a cornerstone of next-gen finance.

So yes, while the crypto world was obsessing over memecoins and macro trends, Ripple quietly made one of the most strategic moves of 2023. And if you’re bullish on XRP (like I am), this is the kind of headline that should make you sit up, double-check your cold wallet, and maybe even do a little happy dance.

Understanding Metaco and Its Impact on XRP

Here’s where the rubber meets the blockchain. Metaco isn’t just a fancy vault—it’s a catalyst for XRP’s next evolution. With Ripple’s acquisition, Metaco’s tech is now supercharging how XRP is stored, managed, and deployed across institutional channels. This means XRP is no longer just a liquidity bridge or a speculative asset—it’s becoming a core component of institutional finance infrastructure.

What’s so game-changing about that? Well, institutions don’t just want to trade crypto—they want to integrate it, manage it, report on it, and secure it with airtight compliance. Metaco’s orchestration layer enables all of that. It allows Ripple to offer banks and fintechs a complete custody solution for XRP and other assets, making it easier to build real-world applications on top of the XRP Ledger. That’s a big leap from where we were just a few years ago.

• Metaco supports multi-asset custody, including XRP, BTC, ETH, and tokenized assets.
• Its infrastructure is modular and API-driven, enabling integration with existing banking systems.
• It complies with global standards, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2, making it institution-ready.
• It supports governance workflows, audit trails, and policy management for enterprise clients.

For XRP, this is a massive credibility boost. It positions the asset not just as a tool for fast, low-cost payments, but as a secure, institutionally backed financial instrument. And in a world where regulatory clarity is still murky, having top-tier custody in place is a moat that’s hard to beat.

Want to stay ahead of the curve in blockchain finance? Stick with XRPAuthority.com. We’ve been decoding the XRP ecosystem since before it was cool—and we’re just getting started.

Products and services

Let’s get one thing straight—Metaco isn’t your average crypto wallet with a slick UI and a catchy name. This is industrial-strength digital asset custody, engineered for institutions that move billions and can’t afford to misplace a single byte. Metaco’s flagship platform, Harmonize, is the crown jewel here—a modular, API-first orchestration engine that’s redefining how digital assets are managed at scale. If crypto custody were a Formula 1 car, Harmonize would be the engine, the transmission, and the pit crew all rolled into one.

What makes Harmonize such a game-changer? It’s built to integrate directly into a bank’s existing tech stack, offering seamless interoperability with core systems, trading desks, compliance modules, and even tokenization platforms. That means institutions can custody XRP and other assets without rebuilding their infrastructure from scratch. Whether it’s tokenized real estate, stablecoins, or native crypto assets like XRP, Harmonize treats them all with the same level of security, auditability, and operational control.

And we’re not just talking about locking assets in a safe. Metaco’s platform enables full lifecycle management—from key generation and storage to trading, settlement, and reporting. Institutions can set custom governance policies, enforce multi-signature workflows, and monitor every transaction in real time. This is the kind of toolset that global custodians, central banks, and asset managers dream of when they imagine entering the blockchain finance space.

• Multi-asset support: XRP, BTC, ETH, tokenized securities, NFTs, and more.
• Deployment flexibility: Available on-premises, cloud-native, or hybrid configurations.
• Workflow orchestration: Customizable approval chains, policy enforcement, and role-based access.
• Regulatory alignment: Built to support AML, KYC, and FATF guidelines across jurisdictions.
• Tokenization-ready: Native support for issuing and managing tokenized assets on existing ledgers.

For Ripple, this is pure gold. Harmonize doesn’t just store XRP—it empowers institutions to actually use it. Want to tokenize an asset and settle it using XRP? Done. Need to launch a stablecoin backed by real-world collateral? Covered. Looking to offer a compliant crypto custody product in Europe, Asia, or the Middle East? Plug in and go. Ripple now has the toolkit to offer XRP-native services that meet the demands of global finance, without compromising on security or compliance.

And let’s not forget the white-labeling potential. Metaco’s platform allows Ripple to roll out customized custody solutions under different brands, tailored to banking clients, fintech startups, and central banks alike. That’s strategic leverage—taking XRP from a utility token to a programmable asset that powers everything from cross-border payments to tokenized treasuries.

In short, Metaco isn’t just a feature—it’s the backbone of Ripple’s institutional strategy. And for XRP? It’s the infrastructure boost that turns a powerful idea into a scalable, bank-grade reality. When you combine Ripple’s liquidity engine with Metaco’s custody tech, you don’t just keep up with the competition—you start defining the rules of the game.

Partnerships and clients

Let’s talk about the company Metaco keeps—because in the institutional world, your client list is your street cred. And Metaco’s got a Rolodex that would make a Wall Street rainmaker blush. Before Ripple swooped in with its 0 million acquisition, Metaco had already carved out a reputation as the go-to custody partner for some of the world’s most risk-averse and regulation-heavy players. We’re talking tier-one banks, central banks, asset managers, and infrastructure providers that don’t just kick the tires—they run full-scale audits before even scheduling a meeting.

One of Metaco’s flagship partnerships includes Germany’s DekaBank, a 100-year-old institution managing over 0 billion in assets. They selected Metaco’s Harmonize platform to underpin their digital asset strategy, a move that signaled to the entire EU finance sector that crypto custody wasn’t just a trendy experiment—it was becoming a core service. Other clients like BBVA Switzerland and Standard Chartered’s Zodia Custody showcase Metaco’s global reach and institutional versatility. These aren’t crypto-native startups—they’re legacy financial titans stepping into blockchain finance with Metaco as their sherpa.

What makes these partnerships so strategic for Ripple and XRP? Simple. Every time a major financial institution integrates Metaco’s platform, it opens a new channel for XRP adoption—whether as a liquidity tool, a settlement asset, or a tokenization medium. Institutions using Harmonize can seamlessly custody and orchestrate XRP transactions, making it easier to integrate the asset into treasury operations, trading desks, and DeFi-like services for enterprise clients.

• DekaBank: Using Harmonize to tokenize and manage digital assets under Germany’s strict regulatory framework.
• BBVA Switzerland: Offering crypto trading and custody services to private banking clients with XRP among supported assets.
• Zodia Custody: A joint venture by Standard Chartered and Northern Trust, geared toward institutional-grade crypto services.
• UnionBank of the Philippines: Leveraging Metaco’s platform to launch custodial services and explore XRP-based remittance corridors.

Each of these partnerships does more than validate Metaco’s tech—it fortifies Ripple’s vision of XRP as a compliant, scalable financial instrument. When you’ve got regulated banks and custodians using Metaco to safeguard XRP, it sends a powerful message to regulators, enterprises, and even skeptics: this isn’t just a speculative token. It’s an asset with real-world utility, housed in infrastructure that meets the highest standards of security and compliance.

So, whether it’s a European megabank exploring CBDCs or a Southeast Asian lender building crypto-native products, Metaco is the connective tissue. And now that Ripple owns that tissue, XRP is poised to flow through it like never before—securely, compliantly, and globally.

Security and compliance

Let’s face it—when you’re dealing with billions in digital assets, “oops” is not an acceptable risk management strategy. That’s why Metaco’s approach to security and compliance isn’t just rigorous—it’s borderline paranoid (in a good way). In the world of institutional crypto custody, paranoia is a feature, not a bug. And Metaco brings bank-grade, military-spec, Swiss-engineered security to the table—exactly the kind of fortress Ripple needed to scale XRP utility across regulated financial environments.

Metaco’s security model is rooted in a zero-trust architecture, which basically means no one and nothing is trusted by default—not even internal systems. Every access request, every transaction, and every policy change is authenticated, audited, and subject to multilayered governance workflows. And we’re not talking about your average 2FA here—we’re talking hardware security modules (HSMs), secure enclaves, threshold cryptography, and policy-based access controls that would make even the NSA nod in approval.

• Hardware-backed key management: Private keys are generated and stored in FIPS 140-2 Level 3 HSMs or secure enclaves, ensuring tamper-proof cryptographic operations.
• Granular governance policies: Institutions can define transaction approvals, role-based permissions, and workflow rules down to the keystroke.
• Immutable audit trails: Every action—internal or external—is logged and cryptographically signed for complete traceability and regulatory reporting.
• Disaster recovery and failover systems: Built-in redundancy and real-time failover ensure high availability and business continuity.

And here’s the kicker: it’s not just secure—it’s compliant. Metaco is certified under ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, aligning with global standards for information security management and operational integrity. That’s a big deal when you’re talking to central banks, institutional custodians, or fintech firms navigating a regulatory labyrinth. Whether it’s the European Union’s MiCA framework, the SEC’s evolving crypto posture, or the FATF’s travel rule, Metaco’s infrastructure is designed to tick all the right boxes.

For Ripple, this translates into a huge strategic edge. With Metaco’s compliant-by-design architecture, Ripple can now offer custody services for XRP and other assets that meet the stringent requirements of global regulators. This opens the door for XRP to be adopted by financial institutions without triggering compliance headaches or legal risk. From AML screening to secure key recovery, Metaco’s tech de-risks the entire custody lifecycle—making XRP a safer bet for serious players.

And let’s not forget the geopolitical angle. With Metaco headquartered in Switzerland, Ripple gains access to a jurisdiction known for its progressive stance on digital assets and its neutrality in global finance. That’s critical in a multi-jurisdictional regulatory environment where one wrong move can cost you your license—or worse, your reputation. By aligning XRP custody with Metaco’s ironclad security and compliance protocols, Ripple is future-proofing its institutional playbook in a way that few crypto companies can match.

At the end of the day, trust is the currency of institutional finance. And Metaco’s combination of fortress-grade security and global compliance is exactly what gives XRP the credibility it needs to go from trading desk to treasury. If you’re bullish on the future of blockchain finance, this is the infrastructure you want behind your assets.

Want to keep your finger on the pulse of XRP’s rise in institutional finance? Bookmark XRPAuthority.com. We’re not just watching the transformation—we’re decoding it, one bold move at a time.