World Central Kitchen, Water.org, GiveDirectly and Mercy Corps pilot Ripple’s licensed payments solution and Ripple’s stablecoin to expand financial access.

Ripple, a financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses, today announced that several of the world’s leading development and humanitarian nonprofit organizations – including World Central Kitchen, Water.org, GiveDirectly, and Mercy Corps – are leveraging Ripple Payments and the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin to help improve the speed, transparency, and impact of aid delivery and funding.

Nonprofits around the world are seeking better ways to move funds quickly and efficiently—especially when responding to urgent needs in areas with limited infrastructure. With Ripple Payments, a licensed, end-to-end platform powered by blockchain technology, organizations can send money across borders in seconds, 24/7/365, without relying on traditional banking systems. Ripple’s platform lets nonprofits access the benefits of digital assets without having to directly manage crypto themselves. Pairing the platform with Ripple’s U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, provides an efficient way to deliver aid and enable new models for financial inclusion and disaster relief.

“Our partners and customers are redefining how urgent aid, sustainable development, and financial support reach those who need it most,” said Monica Long, President of Ripple. “It’s a powerful example of what happens when innovation meets purpose—showing how blockchain technology can reshape the systems behind global relief and unlock lasting impact at scale.”

Innovation lies at the heart of World Central Kitchen’s (WCK) mission to respond swiftly to communities in crisis. Since 2020, Ripple has supported WCK in delivering millions of meals to communities and first responders impacted by natural disasters. Building on this partnership, WCK is now leveraging Ripple Payments and RLUSD to accelerate the disbursement of funds to local restaurants and partners in regions without established banking infrastructure—enabling faster, more transparent delivery of critical support.

“When disaster strikes, World Central Kitchen mobilizes with the urgency of now to bring fresh meals to first responders and impacted communities,” said Joshua Tripp, President of Innovation, World Central Kitchen. “With Ripple, we’re testing new financial technologies to settle payments in hours instead of days, even in challenging environments, allowing us to serve more communities in their most vulnerable moments.”

Water.org, a global nonprofit founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, has improved access to safe water or sanitation for more than 81 million people. After successfully piloting Ripple Payments to send funds to microfinance partners in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru, the organization now plans to run all of its Latin American transactions through Ripple’s platform and is exploring expansion into other regions, including Africa and Asia. By leveraging Ripple Payments platform, Water.org can move funds faster and more cost-effectively to support affordable loans for critical water and sanitation solutions.

“At Water.org, we’re always looking for new ways to make financing for safe water and sanitation for families in need faster and more affordable,” said Gary White, CEO and Co-founder of Water.org. “Through our collaboration with Ripple, we’re exploring how digital payments can help us move funds more efficiently to our local partners — unlocking capital faster so more families can access the solutions they need to survive and thrive.”

Ripple is also collaborating with nonprofit partners on pilot programs testing RLUSD in applications such as parametric insurance for unbanked populations and anticipatory cash transfers. This includes multiple pilots with Mercy Corps Ventures currently underway in Kenya, and similar pilots being scoped with GiveDirectly.

“Through our pilot in Kenya, we’re testing how stablecoins like RLUSD can move aid faster and more reliably to people facing crises,” said Scott Onder, Chief Investment Officer at Mercy Corps. “For families waiting on emergency cash or insurance payouts, even a few hours can make a difference—and blockchain-enabled payments are helping us close that gap.”

This work is a testament to the broader potential of stablecoins to transform the global financial ecosystem. By providing a low-cost, near-instant alternative to traditional remittance services, stablecoins can increase the amount of money recipients receive, boosting economic resilience for billions of underbanked and unbanked communities. With RLUSD surpassing a $900 million market cap in less than a year since launch, Ripple is proving that enterprise-grade stablecoins can scale rapidly and responsibly. This is a core part of Ripple’s mission to build a more inclusive global economy.

About Ripple

Ripple is a financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses. Ripple Payments uses blockchain to make cross-border payments faster, more transparent, and widely accessible. Ripple Custody offers customers a secure way to store and manage digital assets. Ripple's stablecoin (RLUSD) and the cryptocurrency, XRP, are leveraged across these solutions to make traditional finance more efficient and enable new ways to utilize digital assets.

About World Central Kitchen

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 500 million nourishing meals around the world.

When disaster strikes, WCK’s Relief Team mobilizes with the urgency of now to start cooking and serving meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of local restaurants, food trucks, and emergency kitchens, WCK serves comforting meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. To support regional economies, WCK prioritizes purchasing local ingredients to cook with or distribute directly to families in need.

We know that good food provides not only nourishment, but also comfort and hope, especially in times of crisis. Learn more at wck.org

About Water.org

Water.org is a global nonprofit organization that has positively transformed more than 81 million lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org pioneers' market-driven solutions to the global water crisis. For more than 30 years, Water.org has helped give women hope, children health, and families bright futures. Learn more at www.water.org.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a global team of nearly 4,300 humanitarians working to create a world where everyone can prosper. 95% of our team members are from the countries where they work. In 35 countries affected by conflict, disaster, poverty, and climate change, we work alongside communities, local governments, forward-thinking corporations, and social entrepreneurs to meet urgent needs and develop long-term solutions to make lasting change possible. Ventures is the impact investment arm of Mercy Corps and a leading early-stage climate resilience investor. We identify and support innovative and tech-driven climate adaptation and resilience solutions for underserved users in emerging markets. In 2024, Mercy Corps reached over 37.5 million people.

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