Ripple向速汇金投资5000万美元，推广一种数字货币

本周一，加密货币公司Ripple宣布将与速汇金（MoneyGram）达成主要战略合作伙伴关系，后者将在日常运营的转账服务中兼容数字货币XRP。

按照协议条款，Ripple将以每股4.1美元的价格收购速汇金8%至10%的股份。这相当于3,000万美元的投资。此外，速汇金还可以选择在未来两年里以同样价格出售另外2,000万美元的股票。

对位于旧金山的Ripple而言，这次交易将让公司得到了前所未有的机遇，来证明自己转移XRP币的产品X-Rapid乃是跨境转账的不二之选。Ripple一直认为银行应该把XRP币作为过渡货币，而不是让它作为抵押品与国外账户绑定。

Ripple的首席执行官布拉德·加林豪斯对《财富》杂志表示：“它会淘汰注册国外账户的需求。这就是为何速汇金的运营资本为负。消费者能够从中受益，资金业务也会因此更加平滑。”

Ripple的投资是在速汇金的竞争对手西联汇款（Western Union）试用X-Rapid结束一年后。后者表示XRP转移业务没有显著促进储蓄量的增加。在过去三年里，Ripple还与各银行进行了多次试点项目，但XRP都没有突出表现。

然而，加林豪斯认为，形势在过去几个月里已经不同了。他表示，如今有几百家合作伙伴都在采用XRP。这种货币的隐含价值已经高达约180亿美元，在加密货币中排名第三，仅次于比特币（Bitcoin）和以太坊（Ethereum）。他补充道，这导致XRP的供应流动性很高，也就意味着加密货币波动性的风险几乎被消除，因为金融公司可以在几秒内进入和撤出这种货币。

对速汇金而言，公司最近亏损连连，几次惨淡的财报导致股价暴跌，Ripple的投资可以让他们借机稳固财务状况。这次投资也是在美国政府禁止中国的蚂蚁金服收购该公司18个月以后。

Ripple的开价，比目前在1.5美元徘徊的速汇金股价要溢出很多，不过比起传闻中蚂蚁金服提出的每股18美元的收购价还有很大差距。

按照双方的说法，Ripple不会立刻在速汇金的董事会获得席位，而是作为观察员存在。

速汇金的首席财务官拉里·安吉内利表示：“我们对于Ripple的投资条款感到非常高兴，它给了公司永久资本与额外流动资产的支持。这次合作还让速汇金有了改善经营效率，增加业绩和自由现金流的机会。”（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

Cryptocurrency company Ripple on Monday announced a major partnership with MoneyGram, which will see the money transfer service use the digital currency XRP as part of its day-to-day operations.

Under the terms of the deal, Ripple will pay $4.10 cents a share to acquire an 8% to 10% stake in MoneyGram. This translates into a $30 million investment, and also gives MoneyGram the option for another $20 million cash infusion in the next two years.

For San Francisco-based Ripple, the deal will provide an unprecedented opportunity to make the case that its product called X-Rapid, which allows for the transfer of XRP, is superior for moving money across borders. Ripple has long argued that banks should use XRP as a form of bridge currency, rather than leaving money tied up as collateral in foreign accounts.

“This will eliminate the need to deploy foreign bank accounts. That’s why MoneyGram has negative working capital. It will help customers and also smooth out their treasury operations,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse told Fortune.

Ripple’s investment comes a year after MoneyGram’s rival Western Union ended a trial experiment with XRapid, saying the XRP transfer service had not produced any significant savings. Ripple has also engaged in numerous pilot projects with banks in the past three years, but none of these has resulted in a breakout moment for XRP.

Garlinghouse, however, claims that the tide has turned in recent months, saying hundreds of partners are now using XRP, which has a total implied value of about $18 billion and is the third most valuable cryptocurrency after Bitcoin and Ethereum. He added that this has produced a highly liquid supply of XRP, meaning that the risk of volatility is all but eliminated since financial firms can move into and out of the currency in seconds.

For MoneyGram, the Ripple investment provides an opportunity to firm up its finances after recent losses and several dismal earnings reports that have caused its share price to slump. It also comes 18 months after the U.S. government barred China-based Ant Financial from acquiring the company.

Ripple’s purchase of newly-issued shares of MoneyGram is a significant premium on MoneyGram’s recent market price, which has languished around $1.50—but a far cry from the $18 that Ant Financial reportedly offered.

According to the companies, Ripple will not immediately receive a seat on MoneyGram’s board, but will instead have observer status.

“We are very pleased with the terms of the Ripple investment which supports the Company with permanent capital and additional liquidity,” Larry Angelilli, chief financial officer of MoneyGram, said in a statement. “This partnership also provides MoneyGram with the opportunity to improve operating efficiencies and increase earnings and free cash flow.”