Meritz Taps Ripple for Custody and Tokenization Review, With Korea's 2027 Deadline Looming 🏛️

Meritz Securities, one of South Korea's leading brokerages, has signed a strategic partnership with Ripple to examine how Ripple Custody and Ripple's tokenization infrastructure can be applied to Korea's capital markets, the company disclosed on October 7, 2026. The agreement was formalized at Meritz's Yeouido headquarters in Seoul, with Meritz CEO Jang Won-jae and Ripple President Monica Long in attendance.

The timing is anchored to South Korea's tokenized-securities amendments, which are scheduled to take effect on February 4, 2027. Meritz and Ripple said they plan to begin cooperation within the limits of existing securities-business rules and regulations, then consider expanding in stages as South Korea's digital-asset framework develops. Meritz disclosed that it is examining possible business lines that could become relevant as digital assets enter the regulated financial system, covering areas such as institutional digital-asset custody and tokenization services, though the company has not tied those potential activities to Ripple or confirmed that any of them will proceed.

The pact is positioned as a review, not a product launch. Neither side has confirmed any role for $XRP, the RLUSD stablecoin, or the XRP Ledger in the engagement, and the review does not constitute a commercial rollout. Meritz and Ripple framed the work as preparation of infrastructure ahead of the 2027 deadline, with the goal of having systems in place before the new rules widen commercial possibilities for tokenized securities in the Korean market.