Ripple Prime Strategic Integration with Hyperliquid: How Institutional Investors Can Unlock New Opportunities in On-Chain Derivatives

Ripple’s institutional-grade prime broker platform Ripple Prime announces integration with decentralized derivatives exchange Hyperliquid. This is the first time Ripple Prime platform has directly integrated with a DeFi trading venue. This integration allows institutional clients to access Hyperliquid’s on-chain derivatives markets within a single prime broker account framework, while managing risk exposure across asset classes in a unified manner.

A New Paradigm of Integration: Breaking Down Barriers Between Centralization and Decentralization

Ripple Prime’s integration with Hyperliquid marks a fundamental shift in how institutions access DeFi markets. Traditional financial institutions engage with decentralized derivatives markets through familiar prime broker services, ensuring trading efficiency and compliance. The core feature of this integration is that clients continue to see Ripple Prime as their sole counterparty during trading, even though behind the scenes they are connected to decentralized exchanges like Hyperliquid.

Ripple Prime CEO Michael Higgins stated, “Extending our prime broker platform strategically into the DeFi space will enhance our clients’ liquidity access, providing the higher efficiency and innovation that our institutional clients demand.”

In-Depth Analysis of Hyperliquid: Layer 1 Built for High-Frequency Trading

Hyperliquid does not operate on Ethereum, Solana, or other public blockchains; instead, it is built on a dedicated Layer 1 blockchain optimized for high-frequency trading. Its technical architecture aims to address common speed bottlenecks and high gas fees in decentralized trading.

The core architecture consists of two main modules: HyperCore and HyperEVM. HyperCore handles on-chain order books and lightning-fast trade execution, while HyperEVM provides Ethereum compatibility for easier smart contract deployment.

HyperBFT consensus mechanism achieves sub-second finality, enabling the network to process up to 200,000 orders per second. Unlike traditional DEXs, Hyperliquid features a fully on-chain order matching engine, with every order, trade, cancellation, and settlement transparently recorded on the blockchain.

Ripple Prime: Bridging Traditional Finance and Crypto Markets

Ripple Prime was formed after Ripple’s 2025 acquisition of non-bank prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, and officially rebranded as Ripple Prime following the completion of the acquisition in October 2025.

In October 2025, Ripple revealed that since announcing the acquisition, Ripple Prime’s business has nearly tripled in size. The platform serves over 300 institutional clients, with annual clearing volumes exceeding $3 trillion. Its services cover foreign exchange, digital assets, derivatives, swaps, and fixed income markets, including clearing, prime brokerage, and financing.

The Future Landscape of On-Chain Derivatives Trading

The integration of Ripple Prime and Hyperliquid reflects a key trend in the DeFi market: institutional participants are seeking a balance—maintaining the reliability and structure of traditional financial services while gaining the efficiency and transparency of on-chain markets.

Hyperliquid has already established a significant position in the decentralized perpetual contracts trading market. The platform generates approximately $3 million in daily trading fees and controls 62% of the open interest in perpetual contracts DEX market. The direct result of this integration is that Ripple Prime’s institutional clients will be able to manage positions across centralized exchanges, traditional forex, fixed income markets, and on Hyperliquid’s on-chain derivatives within a single interface.

Market Data Perspective: Recent Performance and Outlook of HYPE Token

According to the latest data from Gate platform as of February 5, 2026, Hyperliquid’s native token HYPE is priced at $32.99. The token reached an all-time high of $59.39 on September 18, 2025. Recently, its price has increased by +23.30% over the past 30 days.

From a technical analysis perspective, some market observers note that HYPE is in a critical consolidation zone. Short-term resistance is concentrated between $34.40 and $35.55, while immediate support is around $33.70 to $33.90.

Other analyses show a longer-term outlook. Some institutions project HYPE’s price in 2026 to range between $25 and $90, with long-term forecasts in 2030 between $70 and $185. It’s important to note that the market analysis also highlights that within the Hyperliquid ecosystem, approximately 217,000 HYPE tokens are scheduled to unlock daily.

The Path to DeFi and TradFi Integration

When traditional financial giants like Ripple Prime reach out to on-chain native protocols like Hyperliquid, a larger narrative is unfolding. This is not just a simple connection between two platforms but a profound transformation regarding capital efficiency, risk management, and market structure. For institutional investors, this integration means they no longer have to choose between the reliability of traditional capital markets and the transparency and innovation of on-chain markets.

A noteworthy detail is that Hyperliquid offers not only liquidity but also a new set of technical standards. Its sub-second finality trading experience is redefining institutional perceptions of “tradability.” This integration may just be the beginning. Ripple Prime has indicated plans to support more centralized and decentralized liquidity venues as institutional activity in DeFi continues to grow.