Ripple has announced a strategic partnership with BitPay as a new phase of an expansion plan for its ecosystem.

According to Ripple, thousands of businesses will now be able to accept XRP thanks to the payment processing services provided by BitPay.

The full integration between the two platforms should take place before the end of the year.

BitPay is one of the most important crypto payment processors in the ecosystem.

“BitPay customers are leveraging the promise of blockchain payment technology and with XRP can offer a payment option that is fast, cost-effective and scalable. The addition of XRP as the next blockchain asset supported by BitPay expands blockchain choices across the payments space,” Sean Rolland, Director of Product at the PayTech firm commented.

Ripple is not precisely the cryptoverse’s favorite cup of tea, either. Criticisms of centralization, constant sales of XRP, and a philosophy more consonant to that of a financial services company than a real cryptocurrency itself have caused a negative image in the wider community.

However, despite these obstacles, Ripple has managed to rank XRP as the third most capitalized cryptocurrency in the market — while BitPay remains at the forefront of crypto payment processors around the world.