Ripple Prime, the prime brokerage arm of Ripple Labs, has partnered with decentralized derivatives platform Hyperliquid to give institutional traders a new way to access onchain perpetuals. The move, reported on February 4, 2026, aims to bridge the gap between traditional finance workflows and fast-growing onchain derivatives markets.
The integration allows hedge funds, asset managers, and proprietary trading firms to tap Hyperliquid liquidity through Ripple Prime. As a result, institutions can trade onchain perpetuals without directly handling wallets, smart contracts, or other DeFi operations. This approach mirrors how many firms already access crypto through familiar prime brokerage models.
Why Institutions Want This Setup
Institutional traders increasingly want exposure to decentralized markets. However, most firms still prefer centralized processes for risk management and reporting. Ripple Prime positions itself as the middle layer that solves this problem.
Through the Hyperliquid integration, Ripple Prime can offer:
- Credit intermediation and margin services under one account
- Centralized reporting and risk controls
- Access to onchain perpetuals liquidity without direct DeFi management
Therefore, firms can keep their internal systems intact while expanding into new trading venues.
Hyperliquid’s Growing Role in Onchain Perpetuals
Hyperliquid has become one of the most active onchain derivatives platforms. Throughout 2025, onchain perpetuals trading grew quickly as professional traders searched for deeper liquidity and better execution. Furthermore, volume has started to concentrate on platforms that feel similar to centralized exchanges but run fully onchain.
This shift makes Hyperliquid an attractive destination for institutional strategies, especially when access barriers are removed through intermediaries like Ripple Prime.
For Ripple, the partnership fits into a larger plan to build an institutional crypto hub. The company already spans payments, custody, stablecoins, and now prime brokerage services. By offering unified access across venues, Ripple hopes to reduce friction for firms entering crypto-native markets.
The bigger takeaway is clear. Onchain derivatives platforms may increasingly compete for institutional flow through prime brokers, not direct wallet access. If this model scales, it could speed up the move of advanced trading strategies onto transparent onchain order books while keeping compliance front and center.
