Ripple joins Matt Damon’s Water.org campaign with RLUSD

Ripple has joined Water.org’s Get Blue campaign as its exclusive digital asset and payments partner. 

The blockchain company will provide seed funding and support fund transfers to local finance partners in emerging markets.

Water.org says more than two billion people lack safe water at home. The nonprofit, co-founded by actor Matt Damon and engineer Gary White, uses small loans to help families pay for water and sanitation systems.

Ripple brings RLUSD into the Get Blue campaign

Ripple said Water.org will use its U.S. dollar-backed RLUSD stablecoin to move funds to microfinance partners. Those organizations provide affordable financing for household pipes, pumps, toilets and other basic water systems.

The arrangement builds on Ripple’s existing support for Water.org through Ripple Payments. Water.org says the platform can reduce costs and shorten transfer times when sending capital to partners across different markets.

Get Blue named Ripple alongside Amazon, Gap, Starbucks, Ecolab, AccuWeather and TikTok. The campaign first appeared at the World Economic Forum in January and is now moving into a wider consumer rollout.

Ripple-backed WaterCredit turns donations into affordable household loans

Get Blue directs corporate funding and consumer donations into Water.org’s WaterCredit model. Local financial institutions then provide small loans that families use to install safe water or sanitation services at home.

Water.org reports a 98% repayment rate for WaterCredit loans. Repaid funds can support more borrowers, allowing the same pool of capital to finance additional household projects over time.

The wider campaign links donations to everyday purchases and services. Gap contributes $5 from each item in its Get Blue collection. Starbucks will donate $0.25 from selected drinks between June 16 and July 7.

RLUSD expands beyond trading and settlement

Ripple launched RLUSD as a stablecoin backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term Treasuries and cash equivalents. It operates on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum and supports payments, settlement and other blockchain transactions.

The Water.org partnership adds another humanitarian use for the token. Ripple previously used RLUSD in a drought insurance pilot for pastoral communities in Kenya and committed $25 million to education groups in the U.S.

As crypto.news reported, the education funding supported DonorsChoose and Teach For America. Separate reporting covered RLUSD’s African expansion through Chipper Cash, VALR and Yellow Card for payments and treasury services.

The Get Blue partnership does not disclose how much RLUSD Water.org will receive or which countries will receive the first transfers. Ripple and Water.org have also not published transaction volumes or named the first microfinance recipients.