SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao has endorsed Ripple's acquisition of Hidden Road, now rebranded as Ripple Prime, highlighting it as a strategic move to enhance institutional digital asset management. Ripple Prime aims to modernize prime brokerage services by offering custody, payments, and stablecoin operations, utilizing XRP and RLUSD. In addition to the acquisition, Ripple has pledged $1.5 million in RLUSD to support blockchain research through its University Blockchain Research Initiative, further cementing its commitment to advancing the digital asset ecosystem.