VivoPower To Purchase Initial US$100 Million of Ripple Shares, Effectively Buying XRP at an Implied US$0.47 Per Token
Backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures, Ripple Labs (Ripple) holds 41 billion XRP tokens, representing approximately 41% of all XRP tokens on issue
VivoPower will become the first and only U.S.-listed company to provide exposure to Ripple
For every $10 million of Ripple shares acquired, an estimated US$5.15 of value per share could accrete to VivoPower 1
LONDON, Aug. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ:VVPR) ("VivoPower" or the "Company") today announced it is acquiring Ripple Labs ("Ripple") shares, as part of a strategic enhancement to its XRP-focused digital asset treasury strategy. Following a two-month period of due diligence, VivoPower has budgeted to purchase an initial US$100 million of privately held Ripple shares. This encompasses definitive agreements directly with current Ripple shareholders, which are subject to final approval from Ripple's executive management. Aside from these transactions, VivoPower will continue to directly acquire and hold XRP tokens.
Ripple minted a fixed 100 billion of XRP tokens at inception and given there have been approximately 14 million XRP tokens burnt to date, the network is mildly deflationary. Ripple continues to hold 41 billion XRP tokens, primarily in escrow. In addition, Ripple has a number of operating businesses including RLUSD, its stablecoin; the digital assets prime broker Hidden Road; MetaCo and the Standard Custody and Trust Company, as well as the recently acquired stablecoin payment platform company, Rail.
VivoPower will become the first and only publicly listed company in the United States that provides shareholders with exposure to Ripple shares as well as XRP tokens. On a weighted average basis, this dual-pronged strategy is intended to deliver an acquisition cost per XRP token that represents an exceptionally favorable discount to the market price of XRP. For every US$10 million of Ripple shares acquired, an estimated US$5.15 per share of value accretion could accrue to VivoPower shareholders (this is based on factors including the current market prices of VVPR, XRP and weighted average purchase price of Ripple shares, all of which are subject to volatility and change).
Importantly, VivoPower will have a full and direct legal title of Ripple shares purchased, and be recorded as a shareholder directly on Ripple's cap table. VivoPower will not purchase any Ripple shares that are held in special-purpose vehicle structures (with embedded fees and costs). An independent auditor will conduct quarterly reviews of VivoPower's Ripple shareholdings.
Kevin Chin, Executive Chairman and CEO of VivoPower, commented: "The opportunity to acquire Ripple shares and materially average down the acquisition price per XRP is in line with our objective of building a sustainable long-term treasury model that translates into substantial potential upside for shareholders. Our portfolio construction strategy is to buy a combination of Ripple shares and XRP tokens. This will allow us to optimize for yield maximization while also minimizing the weighted average cost of XRP acquired."
Adam Traidman, former Ripple board member and Chairman of VivoPower's Advisory Board, commented: "By purchasing Ripple shares, not only will VivoPower acquire XRP at valuations up to an 86% discount versus buying XRP outright on the market, we will also gain a stake in Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin and its other business units, including Hidden Road, Rail and Metaco."
Rationale for Purchase of Ripple Labs Shares
- Ripple is the largest holder of XRP tokens, with 41 billion valued at US$135 billion at the current XRP price;
- VivoPower has the opportunity to acquire Ripple at a weighted average valuation of approximately US$19 billion, representing an 86% discount to Ripple's US$135 billion holding of XRP tokens (assuming no value is ascribed to the rest of Ripple's business units, including RLUSD, its stablecoin);
- This infers that VivoPower would be buying XRP tokens at an implied price of US$0.47 per XRP token (assuming no value is ascribed to the rest of Ripple's business units, including RLUSD, its stablecoin);
- Ripple has a growing stablecoin business, RLUSD, for which it has recently partnered with BNY Mellon. A comparable business is the highly successful recent IPO of Circle Internet Group; and
- In addition, Ripple has other business units, including a digital asset prime broker, Hidden Road and digital asset custodians being MetaCo and the Standard Custody & Trust Company, as well as the recently acquired Rail, a stablecoin payment platform.
Digital Asset Infrastructure and Custody Partners
To support the execution and governance of its treasury strategy, VivoPower has engaged leading digital asset custodian and private market securities infrastructure providers, including BitGo and Nasdaq Private Market, LLC, the preferred partner of Ripple for transacting its shares. Securities-related services are offered through NPM Securities, LLC, a member of FINRA and SIPC. Nasdaq Private Market, LLC is operationally independent from Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
About VivoPower
VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ:VVPR) is undergoing a strategic transformation into the world's first XRP-focused digital asset enterprise. The Company's new direction centers on the acquisition, management, and long-term holding of XRP digital assets, including via Ripple shares as part of a diversified digital treasury strategy. Through this shift, VivoPower aims to contribute to the growth and utility of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) by supporting decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure and real-world blockchain applications.
Originally founded in 2014 and listed on Nasdaq since 2016, VivoPower operates with a global footprint spanning the United Kingdom, Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. An award-winning global sustainable energy solutions B Corporation, VivoPower has two business units, Tembo and Caret Digital. Tembo is focused on electric solutions for off-road and on-road customized and ruggedized fleet applications as well as ancillary financing, charging, battery and microgrids solutions. Caret Digital is a power-to-x business focused on the highest and best use cases for renewable power, including digital asset mining.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes certain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterisations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intends," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include, for example, statements about the achievement of performance hurdles, or the benefits of the events or transactions described in this communication and the expected returns therefrom. These statements are based on VivoPower's management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to risk, uncertainty, and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of VivoPower's business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include changes in business conditions, fluctuations in customer demand, changes in accounting interpretations, management of rapid growth, intensity of competition from other providers of products and services, changes in general economic conditions, geopolitical events and regulatory changes, and other factors set forth in VivoPower's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note 1: certain assumptions were made to estimate the value accretion described in this document, including market prices for VivoPower and XRP, as well as the purchase price for Ripple shares. All of these are subject to significant volatility and hence actual value accretion may vary materially depending on the execution dates. Furthermore, approval of the sale of Ripple shares by Ripple management may not be forthcoming.
The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. VivoPower is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.
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