Ripple Poaches London Metal Exchange Veteran to Bolster Tokenization Efforts

Ripple has bolstered its Trading and Markets team with the hiring of Joseph Thompson, former senior vice president and head of treasury at the London Metal Exchange (LME).

Thompson will join Ripple on September 1, after leaving the LME on August 31. At Ripple, he will work on developing tokenized real-world assets and strengthening trading operations that connect traditional financial markets with blockchain-based platforms.

The LME is a major commodities exchange for non-ferrous metals like aluminum, copper, and zinc. Thompson's experience in market structure, liquidity management, and collateral operations brings valuable expertise to Ripple as the company expands into areas traditionally handled by established market infrastructure providers.

This move follows Ripple's larger strategic expansion into institutional infrastructure. In 2025, Ripple acquired GTreasury for $1 billion, integrating conventional cash management tools with digital asset solutions on its Treasury platform.