From its towering financial hubs to its winding outbacks, the region holding nearly half of all XRPL NFTs is becoming the clear blockchain leader, for cutting-edge business and emerging markets.
From Japan all the way down to Australia, the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) comprises over a quarter of the World population, and has been an engine for innovation and economic development over the past few decades. With APEX moving from Amsterdam to Singapore, it is clear that the region has become a focus for growth of the XRP Ledger. But how can this be effectively put in practice, in a vast area comprising both cutting-edge cities like Singapore, Tokyo, and Shanghai, and regions still deep in development?
We start with a problem. Speaking with Nicole Nguyen, founder of APAC DAO ( over 3000 members and 800 projects from 15 countries) and co-initiator of the XRPL APAC Alliance, “Our journey with XRPL started with a simple observation: despite the global scale of blockchain innovation, Asia-Pacific remains one of the most diverse, dynamic, and community-driven regions — but its developers often lack the resources or recognition seen in other markets.”
Indeed, activity on the XRP Ledger has not been limited to the vibrant developer communities in Singapore (the base of the XRPL accelerator program in partnership with Tenity), or the tech powerhouses of Korea and Japan (where Ripple created a $500M fund in 2024). As XRPL’s major 2024 hackathon in Seoul was wrapping up, APAC DAO organized the XRPL Sea Hackathon for developers from Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand, culminating with a Demo Day in Bangkok. “With over 300 certified devs, 70+ XRPL developers, 15+ dApps launched, and participation from 20+ regional ambassadors, it became a real movement. Not just a competition — but a pipeline for building, funding, and scaling XRPL-native ideas,” Nguyen adds.
Diverse Faces and Use Cases On-Chain
In light of APAC’s diverse populations and circumstances, modularity within blockchain becomes key. Nguyen observes, “In Japan and Korea, the emphasis is often on security, compliance, and NFT innovation. In Southeast Asia, it’s more about access, remittance, and real-world finance. These divergences help XRPL remain adaptable and modular — it’s not a one-size-fits-all network.”
Hong Kong’s regulatory environment has become increasingly supportive of digital assets, alluring entrepreneurs with traditional finance backgrounds to bridge the gap between traditional finance and institutional DeFi. This is especially relevant given the XRPL’s proven capabilities in supporting cross-border and financial use-cases, be it in the region or in other parts of the World.
Among the standout developments are DApps tackling cross-border payments, identity management, and even green finance — all tailored for the unique challenges of Southeast Asia. “One team in Vietnam built a remittance app streamlining fees for workers sending money home. In Thailand, another group prototyped a decentralized ESG data layer — bringing transparency to carbon offset markets,” Nguyen points out.
These projects aren’t one-offs. Thanks to follow-on support, several teams have continued building and pitching in regional demo days and incubators — showing that the XRPL is being taken seriously by emerging builders. “Blockchain allows smaller markets to leapfrog traditional infrastructure. From tokenizing real estate in Vietnam, to micro-financing in the Philippines, XRPL has potential to lower the cost of trust and access — two major friction points in emerging economies,” Nguyen explains.
Blockchain adoption in the Asia-Pacific comes with its challenges. Ecosystem fragmentation across the region is real — languages, regulations, and developer networks vary widely. Also, XRPL awareness outside of core crypto communities remains low. To tackle this, APAC DAO just launched the XRPL APAC Alliance, in partnership with XRPL Japan Association, Catalyze Research, and Tenity. Education and outreach campaigns are bringing awareness to individuals, enterprises and communities about the XRPL’s unique advantages and utility. The initial focal markets are Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, with plans to expand further.
A Vector of Growth across APAC Communities
All of APAC’s XRPL adopters that we met and spoke with are convinced that the XRP Ledger, and blockchain in general, is poised to be a powerful driver of economic growth in the region’s developing economies, by increasing financial inclusion, enabling low-cost and fast cross-border payments, and creating new job and business opportunities. By lowering barriers to credit and connecting local businesses to global markets, blockchain enables individuals and initiatives of all backgrounds to thrive - especially valuable in regions with large unbanked populations. “For example, in rural Vietnam, a team explored a voucher distribution model using XRPL to help NGOs disburse aid transparently. These experiments aren’t headline-grabbers, but they’re meaningful and highly localized,” Nguyen shares. Building on these trends, many would also like to see blockchain deployments at the state-level, where transparent and tamper-proof ledgers help reduce corruption and improve trust in public institutions and markets.
Nicole Nguyen sums it up nicely: “To us, this is the power of XRPL in APAC: not just a technology stack, but a canvas for localized innovation. Through our hackathons and long-term programs, we’re building an ecosystem that is sustainable, inclusive, and builder-first.” Pertinent from the rice paddies of Vietnam, to the traditional tech hubs of Japan.
Indeed, this magazine has been published as Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, wraps up. In that context, Mai Furukawa, Director at XRPL Japan Association, shares compelling data insight, hinting at where the wind is blowing. “Attendees receive NFTs when visiting each pavilion on the app they downloaded on their device. As of July 29, 2025, a total of 4,838,450 NFTs have been minted on the XRP Ledger for the Expo. According to Bithomp, the total number of NFTs on XRPL at that point is 10,805,388, meaning Expo NFTs alone account for about 48% of all NFTs on XRPL. They’re collecting NFTs much like stamps, engaging with blockchain technology without even realizing it. I think this kind of seamless integration, where the tech is invisible but part of everyday life, is the ideal strategy for mass blockchain adoption, and we’re seeing it happen here in real time.”
This endeavor was led in part by SBI Group, one of Japan’s largest traditional finance groups. SBI Group, Mercari (Japan’s leading community-driven marketplace) and other financial actors see where the world is headed, and have been developing partnerships with Ripple to integrate blockchain to their solutions. Mercari enables its users to transact in XRP on an every day basis; in August 2025, SBI Group signed a deal with Ripple to bring the RLUSD stablecoin to Japan.
Go Further: APAC DAO: https://apacdao.net/
XRPL Japan: https://xrpl.jp/
