Rongchai Wang
Jul 13, 2026 22:22
Ripple (XRP)’s UDAX accelerator debuts in Brazil, supporting XRPL startups with mentorship, funding, and academic collaboration.
Ripple (XRP) has expanded its University Digital Asset Xcelerator (UDAX) program to Brazil, marking a significant step in its efforts to grow the XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem. The eight-week accelerator, hosted in partnership with Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), supported nine XRPL-focused startups with technical guidance, mentorship, and access to Ripple’s global network. This move aligns with Ripple’s broader strategy to drive blockchain adoption through academic-industry collaboration.
The Brazil cohort follows the inaugural UDAX launch at UC Berkeley in late 2025. For this edition, startups tackled real-world problems, from tokenized credit for farmers to infrastructure for regulated digital finance. Participants reported an average 83% increase in product readiness and a 53% improvement in investment preparedness during the program, according to Ripple.
“When academic rigor meets real-world builders, you get blockchain applied to problems that genuinely matter,” said Lauren Weymouth, Ripple’s Senior Director of University Partnerships. FGV professors and Ripple experts led business seminars, while startups received one-on-one mentoring and access to strategic partnerships. The cohort also showcased their progress at a Demo Day with around 100 investors, academics, and blockchain stakeholders in attendance.
Notable Startups in the Brazil Cohort
- Levery: Developed a sandbox for Latin American financial institutions, facilitating over 44,000 on-chain transactions and growing its client base by 71% during the program.
- Kapitale: Advanced a blockchain-based receivables tokenization roadmap to enhance transparency in Brazil’s financing sector.
- VS1 Finance: Focused on tokenizing corporate bonds under central bank frameworks, with plans for its first regulated issuance by Q3 2026.
- TrustBond: Improved its donation traceability platform, concluding the program with seven active pilots and over €1 million in requested donations.
- PixNow: Expanded its client base by 42%, refining its strategy to target fintech opportunities in Latin America.
The program’s focus on practical blockchain applications reflects Ripple’s commitment to bridging academic research with market needs. Ripple’s broader institutional push in 2026 includes its partnership with EDX Markets to strengthen digital asset liquidity infrastructure, underscoring its ambition to position XRPL as a backbone for regulated finance.
Market Context
XRP, Ripple’s native token, is trading at $1.059 as of July 13, 2026. While XRP has struggled to break the $1.14 resistance level, the token has shown resilience amid ongoing institutional developments and ETF inflows. Ripple’s initiatives like UDAX, combined with its institutional partnerships, aim to solidify XRP’s role in global financial systems.
As Ripple continues to expand its accelerator programs globally—including upcoming cohorts in Oxford and Berkeley—its efforts to integrate blockchain into regulated markets could further elevate XRPL’s utility and XRP’s adoption.
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