Ripple’s Monica Long to headline major XRP event in Seoul

Ripple President Monica Long is set to appear at XRP Seoul 2026, adding a major company voice to one of Asia’s key XRP-focused events.

The event will take place on October 3 during Korea Blockchain Week. It will bring together XRP holders, XRP Ledger builders, ecosystem projects, and companies working on blockchain finance.

Monica Long joins XRP Seoul lineup

The XRP Seoul account said it was “honored to welcome” Long to the event. The post described her as a leader across Ripple’s business, product, and engineering teams.

Long has worked at Ripple since 2013. The event page says she has helped build the company into a “one-stop shop to move, manage, hold and tokenize value.”

Her role gives the event added weight for XRP supporters. Ripple remains closely linked to XRP through its holdings, payments work, stablecoin strategy, custody services, and use of XRP Ledger infrastructure.

The appearance also comes as Korea Blockchain Week lists Long among its 2026 speaker lineup. The main KBW conference runs from September 30 to October 1 in Seoul.

Korea remains a major XRP market

South Korea has long been one of XRP’s most active retail markets. In a recent Korea and Japan trading review, XRP trading on Upbit and other Korean platforms stood out during several periods of strong market activity.

In May, XRP’s Korean won pair also led Upbit volumes after Hana Bank moved to buy a large stake in Dunamu, the operator of Upbit. As previously reported, XRP outpaced Bitcoin and Ethereum in 24-hour volume on the exchange at that time.

That trading pattern explains why Seoul is a key place for an XRP event. Korean traders often drive sharp moves in XRP volume during market cycles.

XRP Seoul 2026 says it will focus on XRP Ledger growth, institutional adoption, and real-world use cases. The official event site says it expects more than 3,000 attendees and over 100 companies.

XRPL activity expands in Korea

Ripple’s work in Korea goes beyond token trading. In May, Ripple Custody signed a deal with Kyobo Life Insurance to pilot near real-time settlement of tokenized Korean government bonds.

As previously reported, the pilot uses Ripple Custody to hold, transfer, and settle tokenized bonds. The project also explores stablecoin payment rails through RLUSD.

Local XRPL groups are also supporting developer activity. XRPL Korea lists the Korea Financial Innovation Program 2026 as a three-month path for teams building blockchain-based finance products.

That effort gives XRP Seoul a builder angle, not only a market angle. The event will likely give projects a stage to show how they use XRPL for payments, tokenization, custody, and other financial products.

XRP utility remains under debate

Long’s appearance comes as XRP holders continue to question how Ripple’s business growth connects to the token. Recent coverage has tracked Ripple’s moves toward banking, stablecoins, custody, and deeper ties with traditional finance.

A recent analysis of Ripple’s bank strategy said RLUSD may benefit first from a trust charter and Fed master account path. Another SWIFT strategy report noted that Ripple now appears more focused on working with bank messaging systems than replacing them.

That leaves XRP’s direct role under close review. Some holders want clearer proof that Ripple’s new deals create lasting demand for XRP, not only for Ripple products.

XRP Seoul gives Long a public stage to address that gap. Her comments may help show how Ripple sees XRP, RLUSD, custody, tokenized assets, and Korean market growth fitting into the same plan.