VivoPower Unveils XRP-Focused Treasury Plan, $121M Private Placement Above Market Price

Nasdaq-listed VivoPower International saw its stock soar by over 52% after announcing a $100 million purchase of Ripple Labs shares.
The sustainable energy firm will acquire the stake from existing shareholders, pending approval from Ripple’s management.
This dual strategy, executed with partners like BitGo and Nasdaq Private Market, is intended to lower the blended cost of its XRP holdings while providing access to other Ripple business units.

VivoPower International’s stock exploded on Friday, closing 52.3% higher at US$5.94 (AU$9.10) after the company revealed a US$100M (AU$153M) purchase of Ripple Labs equity.

The company, which specialises in sustainable energy solutions and trades on the Nasdaq, said it will acquire the stake from existing Ripple shareholders, awaiting sign-off from Ripple’s management.

The decision follows a two-month review of the company and comes alongside ongoing direct XRP purchases. This would make VivoPower the first US-listed firm to give investors exposure to both Ripple’s private equity and its native token, XRP.

Related: Ripple to Acquire Stablecoin Payments Firm Rail in $200M Deal

Kevin Chin, the company’s executive chairman and CEO, said the dual-asset approach is designed to maximise yield while lowering the blended cost of XRP holdings.

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.

Kevin Chin, VivoPower

After the market closed today, VivoPower’s shares rose another 16% in extended trading. It’s worth noting the company’s stock has rallied over 552% in the last six months, as per data from Google Finance.

The firm will partner with BitGo and Nasdaq Private Market, Ripple’s go-to venue for private share deals, to handle custody and stake execution. It’s also subject to an independent audit of holdings every quarter.

A Blended Approach

Ripple, which recently ended its legal battle against the SEC (this time, for real), currently controls 41 billion XRP, most locked in escrow, from the 100 billion created at launch, and has destroyed around 14 million tokens.

Ripple’s operations extend beyond the token, spanning RLUSD and prime brokerage Hidden Road. It recently acquired the stablecoin firm Rail.

VivoPower’s Chairman Adam Traidman said the blended purchase model could drop the effective XRP cost to about US$0.47 (AU$0.72), which is 86 % below market rates when calculated solely on Ripple’s XRP reserves.

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.