Ripple has achieved a $40 billion valuation following a successful $500 million funding round. The company has also announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard and Gemini to pilot RLUSD stablecoin payments on the XRP Ledger. This collaboration aims to enhance the use of stablecoins in cross-border transactions. Despite these developments, XRP's price has experienced a decline, attributed to increased activity on decentralized exchanges, which historically correlates with price drops. Meanwhile, Bitcoin remains stable near $102,800, as investor confidence is bolstered by Ray Dalio's endorsement of Bitcoin as a safe haven asset amid potential monetary policy shifts by the Federal Reserve.