Ripio, led by CEO Sebastián Serrano, is expanding local currency stablecoins and tokenized bonds in 2026 to serve Argentina and broader Latin America. The move aims to improve payments and lending UX and to position the firm for a slow crypto year but strong stablecoin growth.
The firm offers a dollar stablecoin, Criptodólar (UXD), and local fiat‑backed tokens including wARS, wBRL, and wMXN, plus a tokenized version of Argentina’s top sovereign bond, AL30. “The most liquid assets [like sovereign debt] are going to be the ones that get tokenized first,” Serrano said about tokenization priorities (Ed. note: AL30 reportedly traded more than a million units during the October 2025 election).
The local stablecoins run on Ethereum mainnet, Base, and World Chain, with the deepest integration on World App. Data on Dune Analytics shows roughly $200,000 in wARS volume in December 2025 and about $160,000 in January 2026, and Ripio targets at least $100 million in assets under management this year.
Ripio pairs local stablecoins with virtual local bank accounts to avoid immediate FX losses on conversion and to simplify onboarding. Serrano criticized current wallets as “crappy” UX and argues local stablecoins enable DeFi lending that matches borrowers’ local incomes.
Having shifted from retail trading to B2B infrastructure, Ripio now serves banks, fintechs, and platforms like Mercado Libre. A recent report notes stablecoins processed about $33 trillion onchain in 2025, and Serrano concluded, “It’s going to be the decade of stablecoins.”
