Ripple has extended its reach in Europe and Latin America via a deal with Unicâmbio, a Portuguese currency exchange provider, at a time of heightened interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency across both regions.
Instant-cross borer payments between Brazil and Portugal are the main focus of the partnership, with the Ripple Payments platform playing a key role. This marks the first time Ripple’s payments solution has been made available to Portuguese users.
Specifically, Unicâmbio will offer the Ripple Payments solution to its corporate client customers to move funds and settle payments quickly. The duo assert that this will reduce time and friction in the payments journey.
“Portugal and Brazil share deep economic and cultural ties, with significant money flows between the two countries,” said Adriana Jerónimo, Executive Board Member at Unicâmbio.
“By leveraging blockchain technology we’re transforming money movement between the two nations. Ripple’s crypto-enabled payments solution enables near-instant settlement and drastically reduces costs compared to traditional payments channels, delivering real value to our customers.”
Cryptocurrency is experiencing increased adoption and market interest in 2025, with many consumers and businesses particularly emboldened by the inauguration of pro-crypto Donald Trump as US President last month and the implementation of the MiCA regulations in the EU.
Both developments have a lot of significance for stablecoins, with Trump keen to see more adoption while MiCA is expected to level out the European stablecoin environment.
The timing of Ripple stepping up its presence in Europe via this deal with Unicâmbio coming after the MiCA implementation may be no coincidence, as the company launched its own stablecoin, RYUSD, late last year.
While crypto adoption in Europe steadily rises – according to a report by YouGov and Blackrock over 43% of Portuguese investors have put money into crypto – Brazil and Latin America are some of the sector’s heartlands.
Estimates of cryptocurrency ownership in Brazil vary, with some putting the figure at 11% of the adult population and some at over 45%. Nonetheless, Ripple and Unicâmbio clearly see an opportunity in connecting the payments bridge between the two markets.
Cassie Craddock, Managing Director, UK and Europe at Ripple, said: “Our partnership with Unicâmbio is a significant milestone in Ripple’s European expansion. Portugal has developed a thriving crypto ecosystem so we are delighted to open up our payments solution to partners there.
“By connecting our payment networks in Portugal and Brazil we are facilitating faster, more cost-effective cross-border payments, while strengthening the economic bridge between these two major markets.
“Ripple has over a decade of experience of tokenising real-world assets, starting with bringing fiat currencies onchain to seamlessly send money across borders. As the global cross-border payments market continues to expand, more institutions like Unicâmbio are leaning in to benefit from the inherent benefits of blockchain technology.”
