Ripple Prime launched a 24-hour stock swap, HSBC warns of insufficient liquidity

Ripple's brokerage business Ripple Prime (formerly Hidden Road) announced that institutional clients can now trade swap contracts linked to over 100 stocks, commodities, and foreign exchange markets around the clock, using the USD stablecoin RLUSD issued by Ripple as collateral. These swap contracts track perpetual futures listed on the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Hyperliquid by Trade.xyz, which have no expiration date and can be traded 24/7, allowing funds to build positions in assets like gold while traditional markets are closed. Ripple announced on October 15 that trading company Virtu is already using this service.

HSBC's head of digital asset research, Daragh Maher, stated in a report sent to clients on Monday that this launch is "evolution rather than revolution." He wrote that it is a rapidly growing market but still far smaller than the traditional financial markets it tracks, and the product's appeal will be stronger only when the market has sufficient depth, allowing investors to express views and adjust risks while traditional markets are closed. HSBC expects early activity to focus on market makers, proprietary traders, and hedge funds seeking basis trading, rather than institutions looking for strategic hedging.

The risks of weekend trading have already become apparent. Last Saturday, approximately $52 million in leveraged chip stock positions were forcibly liquidated within 10 minutes, with the sell-off spreading from Binance to Hyperliquid, while the underlying stocks were not trading, and the contracts lacked new stock market prices for reference. HSBC stated that Ripple's success depends on whether the service is cheaper, simpler, and can better utilize client collateral compared to existing brokers. The new swap business is offered under Ripple Prime's British Virgin Islands license, with plans to expand to more jurisdictions in the future.