Ripple acquires Fortress Trust, adding 8 more state money transfer licenses
According to a report by CoinDesk, payment network company Ripple has acquired the Nevada-based chartered trust company Fortress Trust, adding 8 state money transmitter licenses and a trust license in Nevada to Ripple's existing New York BitLicense and money transmitter licenses in 30 states in the US.
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Fortress Trust, founded in 2021, was established by Scott Purcell, former CEO of cryptocurrency custody company Prime Trust. It holds money transfer licenses in 25 states, focusing on custody, payments, and compliance operations in financial infrastructure. According to its official website, its IRA custody account holds $11.8 trillion. It also serves as a custodian for real estate contracts, securities, and estate documents. In terms of payments, customers can pay through credit cards, bank accounts, wire transfers, or even cryptocurrencies. It is a compliance-focused company specializing in cryptocurrency and Web3.
In fact, Ripple became a minority investor in Fortress Blockchain Technologies, the parent company of Fortress Trust, in August 2022, participating in the seed round of investment.
Originally, Ripple held licenses in 31 states. Through the acquisition of Fortress Trust, it immediately added money transfer license permits in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Indiana-DFI, Nebraska, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Vermont, and Wyoming, as well as a trust permit in Nevada.
Ripple's President, Monica Long, stated that this acquisition supports the company's goal:
to become a one-stop shop for converting, storing, and transferring value on the blockchain.