Near Protocol Price Prediction 2025, 2026 – 2030: NEAR Price To Record 2X Surge?

Ripple has announced a partnership with two Dubai-based financial institutions, Zand Bank and Mamo. The collaboration will enable them to leverage Ripple’s cross-border payment technology. 

This marks the company’s major expansion into the region, where efforts to adopt blockchain technology are growing to fuel economic development.

How Ripple’s Tech is Revolutionizing Payments in Dubai

According to the official press release, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven Zand Bank and fintech firm Mamo will utilize Ripple Payments. This blockchain-powered solution facilitates 24/7 cross-border transactions. By streamlining settlement processes, it is designed to enhance efficiency and speed.

Ripple Payments offers near-global reach, with access to over 90 payout markets worldwide. The platform handles more than $70 billion in transaction volume annually, highlighting its scalability and reliability.

“As a pioneering financial institution with a full-fledged banking license, Zand Bank is paving the way for a stronger digital economy by offering innovative financial products as well as AI and blockchain solutions alongside our institutional-grade digital asset custodial services. Our collaboration with Ripple highlights our commitment to empowering global payment solutions through blockchain technology,” Chirag Sampat, Head of Treasury and Markets at Zand Bank, commented.

Zand Bank, the UAE’s first digital-only bank, also revealed plans to launch a stablecoin pegged to the UAE dirham (AED). This initiative aims to bolster local digital payment capabilities, offering a stable and efficient transaction medium within the UAE’s growing digital economy. 

Mamo, a fintech firm focused on simplifying payments for businesses and consumers, will similarly benefit from Ripple’s technology to expand its service offerings.

“The UAE is on an incredible growth path, with over a million businesses expected to call it home by 2030. At Mamo, we’re proud to be at the forefront of this journey, making global payments simpler and more accessible for everyone,” Mamo’s CEO, Imad Gharazeddine, said.

Notably, Ripple’s partnership builds on its earlier strategic move to secure a license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). The March 2025 approval allows the company to offer crypto payment services within the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC).

This regulatory milestone complements Ripple’s existing footprint across key markets, including the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and Switzerland. With over 60 regulatory licenses and registrations worldwide, Ripple continues strengthening its position as a trusted partner for financial institutions.

Despite its global expansion, Ripple faces ongoing challenges. Last week, Judge Analisa Torres denied a joint motion from Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in their long-running legal dispute, citing procedural concerns. 

This has also impacted XRP’s price. Over the past week, the altcoin was down 4.4%. 

Moreover, BeInCrypto data showed that the value has declined by 3.2% in the past day. At the time of writing, XRP’s trading price was $2.3.

The post Ripple Partners with Zand Bank and Mamo to Boost Cross-Border Payments in the UAE appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin spot ETFs have experienced a rollercoaster week of inflows and outflows, largely driven by investors reacting to shifting macroeconomic cues. 

However, a renewed wave of optimism has swept through the markets following the US Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged. This move appears to have reassured investors and reignited institutional appetite for BTC-backed funds. 

Bitcoin ETFs Bounce Back

The week started strong. On Monday, inflows totaled $425.45 million across BTC spot ETFs. Yet, this bullish momentum was interrupted on Tuesday as institutional investors pulled capital from the market ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. The pullback resulted in net outflows of $85.64 million.

However, the trend shifted on Wednesday, thanks to the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates. The announcement triggered a sharp rebound in investor confidence, fueling fresh inflows of $142.31 million into BTC ETFs. 

On May 7, Ark Invest and 21Shares’ ARKB recorded the largest single-day inflow, totaling $57.73 million, bringing its total cumulative net inflows to $2.68 billion.

The second-largest daily inflow was recorded by Fidelity’s FBTC, which saw $39.92 million enter the fund. FBTC’s total historical net inflows now stand at $11.64 billion.

According to SosoValue, no fund recorded a net outflow on Wednesday. 

Options and Futures Signal Bitcoin Bulls in Control

The renewed optimism extends beyond inflows into ETFs. BTC is up 2% over the past 24 hours, and currently trades at $98,888. This price surge is accompanied by a positive funding rate, indicating an increase in leveraged long positions.

At press time, this is at 0.0042%. The funding rate is a periodic fee exchanged between long and short positions in perpetual futures contracts to keep prices aligned with the spot market. When positive like this, traders holding long positions pay shorts,  indicating that bullish sentiment dominates the BTC market.

However, it is key to note that despite this, BTC’s futures open interest has fallen by a modest 0.18% over the past day. This suggests that while traders are largely optimistic, some leveraged positions may have been closed, possibly to take profit as BTC soars. 

Meanwhile, traders have also caught the bullish virus in the options market. The demand for call options has surged, exceeding puts, indicating that traders are increasingly positioning for the upside.

These trends suggest a growing conviction that BTC could break higher if macro conditions remain favorable.

The post Fed Pause Sparks Fire Under Bitcoin Funds | ETF News appeared first on BeInCrypto.