Yonsei University joins Ripple’s UBRI program in Asia Pacific

Ripple (CRYPTO:XRP) has announced a new partnership with South Korea’s Yonsei University as part of its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI). 

This collaboration brings the number of Ripple’s global UBRI partners to 58, with 12 of these partnerships located in the Asia Pacific region. 

Yonsei University will engage in multi-year blockchain research under the UBRI program, focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), finance, information systems, and management.

According to Ripple’s press release, the partnership includes a grant to support the installation of an XRP Ledger (XRPL) validator at Yonsei University. 

The XRPL validators play a crucial role in verifying transaction proposals from a set of trusted validators, known as the Unique Node List (UNL). 

This integration aims to enhance the security and decentralization of the XRPL network.

The inclusion of Yonsei University in the XRPL validator network will not only advance blockchain research but also provide hands-on learning experiences for students and faculty. 

This move is expected to bolster the “credibility and neutrality” of the XRPL by involving a respected academic institution in its operations.

Jun Kyung Auh, Associate Professor of Finance and Artificial Intelligence at Yonsei University, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We are excited to be the latest partner to receive a grant through Ripple’s UBRI program, allowing us to further explore cutting-edge research areas and foster a deeper understanding of blockchain’s impact on the finance and management industries. I’m confident that our students and faculty will benefit immensely from the opportunities to work on real-world challenges and contribute to the global blockchain ecosystem through this partnership.”

Ripple’s UBRI program aims to accelerate global digital asset adoption and improve interoperability by providing strategic support, technical tools, and financial grants to its partners. 

Since its inception in 2018, Ripple has committed over $60 million to the program, making a substantial impact on blockchain research and development worldwide.

At the time of writing, the XRP (XRP) price was $0.5647.