Barclays, the 336-year-old banking giant, is consulting technology providers to build a blockchain platform for stablecoin payments and tokenized deposits, with the aim of selecting providers by April. This move, reported by Bloomberg, follows similar infrastructure developments by JPMorgan with its JPM Coin and HSBC's expansion of tokenized deposits. The initiative signals a continued trend of major traditional financial institutions embedding blockchain technology into their core payment and deposit systems.
In a separate but related development, Ripple's institutional arm, Hidden Road, officially joined the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation's (DTCC) National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) directory on March 2. This integration, reported by CoinDesk, connects traditional post-trade clearing infrastructure to the XRP Ledger for the first time, marking a significant step for XRP's institutional utility. Ripple Prime reportedly cleared over $3 trillion in volume in 2025.
The news comes amidst a mixed market environment. XRP (XRP) was trading near $1.35-$1.36, having climbed above $1.44 earlier in the week before retracing. Standard Chartered maintains a long-term price target of $28 for XRP but has cut its nearer-term target to $2.80, a move that would represent a roughly 107% gain from current levels and is contingent on broader macroeconomic cooperation. XRP-focused ETFs have seen inflows of approximately $4 million daily.
Concurrently, the article heavily promotes the "Pepeto" project, described as a presale for a future cross-chain exchange with zero-tax trading and a bridge connecting all blockchains. The project claims to have raised over $7.8 million, is audited by SolidProof, and is advised by a former Binance expert. It contrasts the slower, institutional path of bank adoption with the high-multiple potential of early-stage infrastructure investments.
