Justin Bieber just gave his 121 million followers on Instagram a glimpse of Ripple, the global digital payments platform that promises to speed up the movement of money around the world using its native cryptocurrency XRP.
In a new Instagram story, a Bieber avatar is featured running around the globe on foot – in a mission to use his platform to do good.
The clip includes news footage featuring environmental activist Greta Thunberg and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with Dwayne Johnson who shouts “Run!” and Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow who bumps into Bieber.
Bieber starts his marathon race, ripping through city streets, crossing a soccer field, tearing across the Hollywood sign, running through a maze and climbing the pyramids of Giza.
As broadcasters try to catch a breathless Bieber-on-the-go, wondering if he’s running for world peace, the homeless, women’s rights or the environment, the I Don’t Care-chart topper keeps ticking.
Right before the final leg, when Bieber doubles back across the globe, he gets turbocharged when he runs into a technical chart showing a volatile asset.
The ‘Runs on Ripple’ logo pops up as Bieber blazes across turbulent terrain, spilling out onto the other side. The Ripple section features three of the fintech network’s partners – MoneyGram, Santander and TransferGo – that use Ripple’s technology to send money around the world in seconds, cheaply and securely.
When asked why he’s running, Bieber says,
“I think my purpose is to inspire people and use my platform to help people.”
So far, Bieber has not responded to questions on who made the clip or whether he knows about Ripple.
Ripple’s investment arm Xpring has invested in Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun, the founder of SB Projects, which is pursuing various initiatives that incorporate XRP and enable artists to monetize and manage their content.
Braun is also collaborating with Zach Katz’s Ripple-backed Raised in Space to integrate blockchain technology and XRP into the music industry.
