XRP Army Finds the Clue: Ripple Just Got Closer to the Core of U.S. Capital Flows

A new discovery by members of the XRP community has created new excitement – and plenty of speculation – around Ripple’s next big move.

Sharp-eyed members of the XRP community have made a new discovery that could tie Ripple even closer to the core of U.S. capital flows than previously thought. It all boils down to a quiet but powerful connection forming between Ripple and the heart of the Treasury market.

As a March 11 notice from the DTCC (Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation) reveals, Hidden Road Partners CIV US LLC—which Ripple recently acquired—has officially become a member of the Government Securities Division (GSD) of the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC). This membership status is set to become active on March 14, just a few weeks after Ripple's public announcement of the acquisition.

This timing isn't just interesting; it's potentially game-changing. The FICC is where more than $11 trillion in U.S. Treasury trades get cleared every single day. With its new membership, Hidden Road gains access to some of the most critical clearing services in the financial system, including buy/sell netting, repo transactions, and GCF (General Collateral Finance) repo—services that are especially relevant for institutions managing massive volumes of short-term funding and government bond trading.

This revelation didn't arrive via press release or a major media report; instead, it was uncovered by members of the XRP community, known for their vigilance and attention to detail. One such community member, Matthew, highlighted the DTCC notice and quickly connected the dots to Hidden Road's sudden access to the Treasury clearing network, which was announced back in December 2023.

Highlighting the DTCC notice regarding Hidden Road's new membership status with the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC), a subsidiary of DTCC.

This membership will enable Hidden Road to participate in clearing services for U.S. Treasury transactions executed in the trade reporting and processing system (TRACS).

The implications of this development are significant, especially in light of the recent changes in regulations governing central clearing of Treasury transactions. As reported by the SEC, which finalized the new rules in late 2023, a greater portion of Treasury transactions will be subject to central clearing, aiming to mitigate risk and enhance stability within the financial system.

Before the implementation of these new rules, FICC's average daily volume of clearing typically ranged around $4.5 trillion, as stated in a report by the DTCC. However, as of April 2025, the FICC has crossed a new all-time high in average daily volume, exceeding $11 trillion.

The new regulation regarding central clearing of Treasury transactions came into effect on March 14, 2025, aligning perfectly with Hidden Road's active membership status.

Moreover, Hidden Road isn't a small player. According to Ripple's own statements, the firm clears over $3 trillion annually for more than 300 institutional clients.

However, before Ripple's involvement, Hidden Road had been struggling with settlement delays, a common challenge in high-volume institutional finance. To solve this issue, Ripple plans to utilize the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for post-trade operations, enabling faster settlements, greater transparency, and more efficient infrastructure. Their goal is to achieve five-second settlement times—a major improvement over the traditional clearing system, which typically takes three days.

This, however, does not mean that XRP itself will be used for settlement, despite what some community members had hoped.

As explained by Ripple in a recent blog post, its upcoming stablecoin, RLUSD, will serve as collateral on Hidden Road's platform. XRP will still have a role, but it will be limited to transaction fees on the ledger.

This distinction has sparked debate within the community. Some long-time holders are concerned that Ripple is shifting its focus from XRP to RLUSD when it comes to enterprise use cases.

Others, however, believe this is a smart move—one that positions Ripple as a serious infrastructure player in global finance, with XRP still benefiting indirectly from increased network activity and exposure.

As for the XRP price, it's currently up 1.5% on the day, trading around $2.44 at press time.

Whether this price move is tied to investors spotting the new connection to the U.S. Treasury system or simply broader market optimism remains to be seen. Regardless, it seems like the story of Ripple, Hidden Road, and the massive-volume U.S. capital markets is heating up.

For now, Ripple isn't revealing too much beyond the stablecoin announcement and infrastructure plans. But the XRP Army is watching closely—and after spotting this connection before anyone else, they might just be on to something big.