Ripple signs multi-year sponsorship deal with University of Florida athletics

Sep 2, 2026

The University of Florida has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Ripple to place XRP cryptocurrency logos on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, generating an estimated $5 million annually. The partnership comes as universities face mounting financial pressures from the NCAA vs. House revenue-sharing settlement. Ripple is pairing the high-profile branding campaign with financial education initiatives for student-athletes, expanding on its previous sports marketing push at the University of Kansas.

Ripple-University of Florida sponsorship deal

▪The University of Florida's partnership with Ripple includes placing XRP branding on digital properties and event signage in Gainesville, Florida.
▪The University of Florida announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Ripple on September 4, 2026, to place the XRP cryptocurrency logo on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
▪The sponsorship deal between Ripple and the University of Florida will generate $5 million annually for the university, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

XRP college athletics branding

▪Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz defended XRP sports advertising in July 2026, arguing that truthful cryptocurrency promotion receives commercial speech protections under the First Amendment.
▪Ripple signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the University of Kansas in July 2026 to place the XRP logo on Jayhawks athletics uniforms, marking the first cryptocurrency on a major NCAA Division I jersey.

Student-athlete financial education programs

▪Ripple integrated similar financial and blockchain education initiatives into its athletics sponsorship agreement with the University of Kansas.
▪Ripple committed to funding and supporting financial and technology education programs covering traditional finance and digital assets for University of Florida student-athletes and the campus community.

NCAA revenue-sharing financial pressures

▪The NCAA began allowing corporate advertisements on college playing fields in 2024, enabling schools to seek new revenue streams.
▪Universities face increased financial strain from the NCAA vs. House settlement, which requires sharing revenue with student-athletes starting at $20.5 million in 2025 and increasing by at least 4% annually over 10 years.

XRP market performance trends

▪XRP traded around $1.41 on September 4, 2026, representing a 34.9% increase over the preceding 30 days but a 49.8% decline over the past year.
▪Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin surpassed $2 billion in market capitalization in August 2026, with nearly $1 billion issued on the XRP Ledger.

Spot XRP ETF flows

▪U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded funds accumulated approximately $1.6 billion in cumulative net inflows by early September 2026, though daily flows were flat on September 4, 2026.
▪Weekly net inflows into U.S. spot XRP ETFs fell 93% from $14.86 million to $1.01 million during the week ending August 8, 2026.