Metaco

Company overview

Ever wonder why Swiss watches are considered the gold standard in precision? Now imagine applying that same Swiss-level precision to crypto custody — and boom, you’ve got Metaco. This isn’t your average digital asset startup with a whitepaper and a dream. We’re talking about a company born and bred in the regulatory fortress that is Switzerland, where banking secrecy meets blockchain innovation. And in May 2023, Ripple — yes, the XRP-powered Ripple — dropped a cool 0 million to acquire Metaco. That’s not just a flex; it’s a strategic move in the high-stakes chess game of institutional crypto finance.

Let’s face it, crypto custody isn’t sexy. It’s not moon charts, DeFi yield farms, or meme coins. But it is absolutely critical — especially when billions in digital assets are on the line. Think of Metaco as the Fort Knox of blockchain finance. It provides the infrastructure that enables banks, asset managers, and fintechs to securely store and orchestrate digital assets like XRP. And if you’re wondering what Ripple’s doing with a custody firm, the answer is simple: they’re playing to win in the institutional arena.

Ripple has long positioned XRP as the bridge asset for real-time, cross-border settlement. But for XRP to scale in the world of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), tokenized assets, and institutional trading, it needs bulletproof custody solutions. That’s where Metaco slides in like the final puzzle piece. With this acquisition, Ripple didn’t just buy a company — they bought trust, compliance, and the infrastructure to support serious money.

Metaco’s reputation didn’t come out of thin air. Founded in 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland, the company quickly earned credibility by focusing on one thing and doing it exceptionally well: institutional-grade digital asset custody. While other players chased headlines and token launches, Metaco quietly built the backend that allows banks and large financial institutions to interact with blockchain without breaking a sweat — or a regulation.

In a world where private keys are lost faster than hot wallets get hacked, Metaco’s approach to secure, compliant storage is refreshingly boring — and that’s a good thing. Their flagship platform, Harmonize, is all about orchestration: enabling institutions to securely manage crypto operations across multiple entities, geographies, and regulatory frameworks. It’s basically the conductor of your digital asset symphony — and XRP is now center stage.

So why is this a game-changer for Ripple? Because custody is more than just safekeeping — it’s about unlocking new use cases. With Metaco in-house, Ripple can now offer end-to-end solutions that go far beyond payments. We’re talking about tokenization, staking, trading, and even automated compliance — all wrapped around XRP and RippleNet infrastructure. It’s like giving a Formula 1 car (XRP) the pit crew it deserves.

And let’s not forget the branding angle. When Ripple aligns itself with a Swiss-born, security-obsessed firm like Metaco, it sends a powerful message to regulators and institutions: “We’re not here to play — we’re here to build the future of finance.”

Understanding Metaco and Its Impact on XRP

To truly grasp Metaco’s significance, you have to understand the evolving demands of institutional crypto adoption. Banks and financial giants aren’t just dipping their toes into blockchain—they’re gearing up for full immersion. But they won’t go near it without ironclad compliance, regulatory clarity, and military-grade security. Metaco delivers all three, and now Ripple can bake that into its XRP infrastructure.

By integrating Metaco’s Harmonize platform, Ripple gains a modular, API-driven custody layer that supports multi-asset orchestration. This means that XRP — along with other digital assets — can be securely managed, transferred, and tokenized under a single operational framework. For institutional clients, that’s a huge win. It reduces friction, eliminates silos, and opens the door to smart contract execution, DeFi integration, and real-time settlement — all while compliant with local and international standards.

• Metaco supports multi-signature governance, HSM (Hardware Security Module) integration, and policy-based workflows.
• Ripple can now offer custody-as-a-service to banks, fintechs, and even governments exploring CBDCs.
• This directly enhances XRP’s utility as a bridge asset in complex financial ecosystems.

In short, Metaco isn’t just a bolt-on acquisition — it’s an architectural upgrade to Ripple’s entire ecosystem. It positions XRP not just as a payment token, but as a core component in institutional trading, digital asset management, and blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

With the lines between traditional finance and crypto blurring faster than ever, having a robust custody solution is no longer optional — it’s table stakes. Ripple knew this. Metaco delivered it. And XRP? It just got a serious upgrade. Stay tuned, because at XRPAuthority.com, we’re not just watching the future unfold — we’re helping you navigate it with precision, insight, and an eye for what’s next.

Products and services

Let’s talk about what Metaco actually does — because behind all the Swiss precision and institutional swagger, there’s some seriously powerful tech at play. At the heart of Metaco’s offerings is Harmonize, a custody orchestration platform that’s as flexible as it is secure. Think of it as the command center for digital asset operations, purpose-built for banks, central banks, asset managers, and corporates navigating the choppy waters of blockchain finance. Harmonize isn’t just about holding crypto like XRP in a digital vault; it’s about enabling a full suite of asset management operations with enterprise-grade governance, automation, and compliance baked in.

One of the standout features of Harmonize is its modular architecture. Institutions can deploy it on-premises, in the cloud, or even in hybrid environments — a game-changer for regulated entities juggling data sovereignty and compliance requirements. Harmonize also supports multi-asset custody, meaning XRP can sit alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, tokenized securities, CBDCs, and even NFTs. This multi-asset flexibility is crucial in a world where financial institutions want one dashboard, one policy layer, and one set of controls to manage everything — not five different systems and a team of exhausted compliance officers.

• Policy-based governance: Institutions can set granular access rights, approval hierarchies, and real-time auditing — no more rogue trades or shadow wallets.
• Interoperability: Harmonize integrates with core banking systems, trading platforms, and KYC/AML tools, making it enterprise-ready from day one.
• Scalable automation: Whether it’s rebalancing portfolios or executing trades, Harmonize can automate crypto workflows while maintaining strict oversight.

And here’s where things get spicy for XRP investors: Metaco’s infrastructure doesn’t just support custody — it supports tokenization, staking, settlement, and compliance automation. With Ripple’s vision of XRP as a core liquidity asset, Metaco’s platform enables use cases like tokenizing real estate, automating cross-border payments via smart contracts, or even offering staking-as-a-service — all using XRP as the underlying infrastructure. That’s not just utility — that’s velocity in the XRP ecosystem.

Moreover, Metaco’s services extend into custody-as-a-service offerings, which Ripple can now white-label to banks, exchanges, and digital asset platforms. This opens up a brand-new revenue stream, while simultaneously embedding XRP deeper into the plumbing of global finance. Whether it’s a European central bank testing a CBDC or a Southeast Asian fintech building a remittance corridor, Metaco’s tech — now Ripple’s tech — makes XRP part of the solution stack.

In an industry where “secure” often means “slow” and “compliant” often means “complicated,” Metaco flips the script. It delivers speed, security, and simplicity — all critical ingredients for institutional adoption of digital assets. For XRP to play in the big leagues of tokenized securities, FX settlement, and global liquidity provisioning, it needs the kind of infrastructure that can scale with trust. Metaco provides exactly that — and now, Ripple holds the keys.

Partnerships and clients

Let’s be honest — in fintech, your friends matter. And Metaco has been hanging out with some pretty high-profile company. Before Ripple even stepped into the picture, Metaco had already built a reputation as the go-to custody partner for some of the world’s most respected financial institutions. We’re talking about tier-one banks, global asset managers, and even central banks dipping their toes into the digital asset pool. These aren’t just casual partnerships — they’re strategic alliances that validate Metaco’s tech and elevate its credibility in blockchain finance.

One of Metaco’s flagship partnerships is with BBVA Switzerland, which launched one of Europe’s first fully integrated crypto trading and custody services for private banking clients — powered by Metaco’s Harmonize platform. That’s right, a 160-year-old banking giant turned to Metaco to navigate the crypto frontier. This wasn’t just a sandbox experiment, either. It was a production-grade deployment that let wealthy clients buy, sell, and store Bitcoin and Ethereum with the same ease as traditional assets — and it laid the groundwork for future XRP integrations as Ripple takes the reins.

Then there’s Standard Chartered’s Zodia Custody, another heavyweight in the Metaco client roster. Zodia, a regulated institution backed by one of the UK’s largest banks, chose Metaco to underpin its digital asset custody infrastructure. That’s a ringing endorsement, especially when institutional confidence is everything in the post-FTX era. And with Ripple now owning Metaco, it’s not hard to imagine XRP becoming a first-class citizen in Zodia’s custody suite — particularly as interest in regulated, cross-border payment solutions heats up.

• BBVA Switzerland: Deployed Harmonize to launch crypto services for private banking clients, setting a precedent for institutional-grade custody.
• Zodia Custody (Standard Chartered): Leveraged Metaco’s platform to deliver secure, compliant digital asset services to institutional clients.
• UnionBank of the Philippines: One of the first banks in Asia to pilot crypto custody using Metaco’s infrastructure, showcasing adoption in emerging markets.

And let’s not overlook the central bank angle. Metaco has been involved in several pilot projects and consultations with monetary authorities exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). With Ripple also pushing hard into the CBDC space and positioning XRP as a neutral bridge asset, these early engagements are synergistic gold. Imagine a central bank using Metaco’s custody tech to manage tokenized fiat reserves while leveraging XRP for cross-border liquidity. That’s not a fantasy — that’s a blueprint.

What makes these partnerships even more strategic is their ripple effect (pun fully intended). When one major bank adopts a custody solution, others take note. With Metaco’s client list now under Ripple’s umbrella, the likelihood of XRP integrations across these ecosystems increases dramatically. Whether it’s for settlement, liquidity provisioning, or tokenization, XRP becomes the logical connective tissue in these financial networks.

Bottom line: Metaco’s existing client base is a treasure trove of institutional opportunities for Ripple. These aren’t startups looking to experiment — these are regulated entities with billions under management. Ripple’s acquisition of Metaco isn’t just about tech; it’s about tapping into a network of trusted relationships that can accelerate XRP adoption across global finance, from Zurich to Singapore to São Paulo.

Security and compliance

If you’ve ever tried explaining crypto to your compliance officer and watched their eyes glaze over faster than a hard fork gone wrong, you’ll understand why Metaco’s emphasis on security and compliance is more than just a feature — it’s a survival strategy. In the high-stakes world of institutional finance, security isn’t optional, and compliance isn’t a suggestion. Metaco gets this. And now that Ripple owns Metaco, XRP is backed by one of the most rigorously secure digital asset platforms on the planet.

Let’s talk security — the kind that makes CISOs sleep soundly at night. Metaco’s infrastructure is built with multiple layers of defense, combining cutting-edge cryptographic techniques with enterprise-grade architecture. The platform employs Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) for key management, ensuring that private keys never see the light of day, let alone a phishing email. Combine that with multi-party computation (MPC) capabilities, role-based access controls, and tamper-proof audit trails, and you’ve got a setup where even the most seasoned hackers would have better luck cracking Fort Knox with a USB stick.

• Hardware-enforced key storage: HSMs ensure all cryptographic materials are isolated from internet exposure.
• Multi-party computation: Enables distributed signing without ever reconstructing private keys.
• Granular access controls: Institutions can define who can initiate, approve, or view transactions down to the keystroke.
• Real-time auditing: Every action is logged immutably, creating a transparent compliance trail.

But ironclad security is only half the equation — compliance is where Metaco truly shines. Operating in Switzerland, a country synonymous with regulatory rigor, Metaco was built with compliance-first architecture from day one. The Harmonize platform comes with native support for KYC/AML integrations, jurisdictional policy enforcement, and regulatory reporting modules. That’s music to the ears of financial institutions navigating the global patchwork of crypto regulations. And for Ripple, it means XRP can now be offered in environments where regulators demand nothing short of forensic-level oversight.

Metaco’s compliance framework allows institutions to define and enforce policies based on geography, asset class, user role, and transaction type. Want to block a specific wallet address in a sanctioned country? Done. Need to generate transaction histories for auditors in five different jurisdictions? Easy. Harmonize doesn’t just follow the rules — it automates them. And when those rules change (because let’s face it, crypto regulation is about as stable as a DAO vote), the system adapts without breaking operational flow.

This level of automated compliance positions Ripple — and XRP — for serious institutional expansion. Whether it’s onboarding a major European bank, enabling a CBDC pilot in Asia, or facilitating tokenized asset custody in North America, Ripple can now walk into the room with a compliance-ready tech stack that meets or exceeds regulatory expectations. No more side-eye from regulators. No more workaround workflows. Just secure, compliant, scalable digital asset infrastructure with XRP at the center.

And let’s not overlook the strategic optics. In a post-FTX, post-Celsius world, trust is the new currency in crypto. By owning a custody platform that’s already trusted by central banks and tier-one institutions, Ripple sends a clear message: “We don’t just move money — we protect it.” That’s a major differentiator in a market where security failures have cost billions and eroded public confidence. With Metaco, Ripple has wrapped XRP in a layer of institutional-grade assurance that few other digital assets can match.

So, whether you’re a compliance officer trying to sleep at night, a CFO managing risk exposure, or an XRP investor watching the macro chessboard unfold, know this: with Metaco under Ripple’s wing, the rails are now fortified, the rules are enforced, and the future of XRP in regulated finance just got a whole lot brighter. For more deep dives, sharp insights, and no-nonsense analysis on everything XRP, keep it locked on XRPAuthority.com — where crypto clarity meets institutional integrity.