With over $550M already deployed across the XRP Ledger, the ecosystem is evolving its support model to empower a more distributed and community-driven builder landscape.
Over the past several years, the XRP Ledger ecosystem has grown from a small community of developers into a global network of builders, institutions, and entrepreneurs exploring new forms of digital finance.
As the ecosystem expands, builders need clear and accessible pathways to funding and technical support. Visibility into available resources and how to access them is essential to scaling real projects on XRPL.
This post provides that clarity. It outlines how ecosystem support has worked to date, how builders have already benefited, and how the funding model is evolving as the XRPL ecosystem enters its next phase of growth.
Supporting Builders Across the XRPL Ecosystem
Over the past decade, Ripple has invested billions of dollars to support the growth of the XRP Ledger and broader digital asset infrastructure. Since 2017, more than $550 million of that has been deployed directly into XRPL ecosystem initiatives, including non-equity grants, builder incentives, strategic partnerships, and growth programs.
Since 2021, these efforts have included hackathons, builder bounties, XRPL Grants, and the XRPL Accelerator, supporting nearly 200 projects worldwide across developer infrastructure, payments, DeFi, tokenization, AI, gaming, e-commerce, carbon markets, and enterprise financial applications.
These programs have helped launch startups, strengthen core infrastructure, and expand real-world use cases on XRPL.
As the ecosystem matures, the focus is shifting toward expanding access to funding through more distributed and independent pathways so builders have multiple avenues to scale.
Moving Toward a More Distributed Funding Model
Historically, much of the XRP Ledger ecosystem funding flowed through Ripple-supported initiatives such as XRPL Grants. While those programs remain important, 2026 marks a shift toward a more distributed model, where independent organizations, regional hubs, venture partners, and community-led initiatives play a larger role in supporting builders.
The goal is simple: a healthier ecosystem where builders can access funding through multiple channels.
This shift is reflected in several new and expanded initiatives launching in 2026:
FinTech Builder Program
As the industry continues to mature, more fintechs are approaching crypto seeking support and guidance on matters ranging from financial rails to broader development strategy. With this in mind, Ripple is launching a new FinTech Builder Program designed to support startups building institutional-grade financial applications on XRPL, including use cases such as stablecoin payments, credit infrastructure, tokenization, and regulated financial services.
Unlike traditional grants programs, this program will provide founders with structured support across the entire development lifecycle, from early product design to market launch. Participating teams will receive guidance on integrating with XRPL infrastructure, refining product strategy, and navigating partnerships within the broader financial ecosystem.
The objective is to help founders move beyond early experimentation and build real financial products that reach production. This will see the FinTech Builder Program include a series of important initiatives.
- Expanded Accelerator Programs: Opportunities through partnerships with established venture firms and startup development platforms. These programs will connect XRPL founders with investors, mentors, and ecosystem partners while providing access to global venture networks.
- Regional Startup Competitions: To expand the ecosystem globally, new regional startup competitions will identify and support founders exploring innovative use cases on the XRP Ledger.
- Builder Awards: To support projects post-hackathon/start-up competition at an important stage of growth.
XAO DAO
Another key component of this evolving landscape is XAO DAO, a hybrid decentralized autonomous organization designed specifically for the XRP Ledger. The goal of the DAO is to amplify community voice and foster a culture of rapid experimentation through microgrant funding.
As soon as the proposal window opens, the DAO will empower its members to collectively determine how resources are allocated across several critical areas, including:
- Community Grants: Providing fast, low-friction funding for developers, community builders, and early-stage "ideas-in-testing."
- Community Feedback Loops: Creating a structured environment to share proposals, vote on priorities, and help shape the future of ecosystem funding.
- DAO Proposals: Enabling the community to submit and vote on initiatives that directly steer the direction of the ecosystem.
By shifting decision-making power toward a broader group of stakeholders, XAO DAO represents a significant step toward a more resilient and community-led governance model for the XRPL.
XRPL Commons
Another important pillar of the evolving ecosystem support model is XRPL Commons, which plays an independent role in supporting builders across the community.
The goal is to ensure that no single organization becomes the sole gatekeeper for ecosystem support. This distributed approach is intentional. By enabling multiple entities to fund and support builders, the XRPL ecosystem can remain open, resilient, and community-driven.
Over the past year, XRPL Commons has launched initiatives such as the GLOW program, alongside providing proactive grants and partnership funding to support emerging projects and contributors.
Since 2023, XRPL Commons has hosted The Aquarium, a unique 9-week incubator program in Paris, France, supporting startup projects building within the XRPL ecosystem. Information about the program and application details are available here.
XRP Asia
Building on the success of the community-led model, a new hub dedicated to the growing XRP ecosystem in the APAC region is in progress.
Much like XRPL Commons, XRP Asia is envisioned as a dedicated entity focused on growing and nurturing the local builder base and community through tailored resources and regional support. While the initiative is in its early stages, the long-term vision includes a localized team empowered to distribute funding and drive regional adoption.
This expansion into APAC represents a key step in further decentralizing ecosystem support and ensuring that high-potential projects in the East have a direct pathway to the global XRPL network.
The University Digital Asset Xcelerator (UDAX)
In fall 2025, the inaugural cohort, UDAX - UC Berkeley, was launched in partnership between a multidisciplinary team from Ripple and one of UBRI’s premier global hubs, the University of California, Berkeley—renowned for producing more venture-backed founders than any other university.
In 2026, UDAX is scaling to campuses across the world, including Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) in São Paulo in the spring, and University of Oxford in the UK in the summer, and UC Berkeley again in the fall.
These accelerator cohorts are co-hosted by Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) and entrepreneurship faculty and researchers at world-class institutions globally. The goal is to support the growth of startups across a diverse set of use-cases and regions, including university founders and impact-oriented startups.
Applications are open to all interested founders here and you learn more about the fall 2025 cohort here.
Venture Capital Participation
Another important signal of the XRP Ledger ecosystem’s maturity is the increasing attention from venture capital firms that are actively supporting founders building on XRPL.
In addition to Ripple-supported initiatives like the FinTech Builder Program, a growing number of venture partners are mentoring teams, investing in startups, and helping connect XRPL builders with broader global networks of capital and expertise. This participation reflects a wider recognition that the XRPL ecosystem is evolving into a serious environment for building financial infrastructure and real-world applications.
Partner organizations supporting ecosystem development include a100x Ventures, Superscrypt, Reforge, New Form Capital, Dragonfly, Pantera, Franklin Templeton, and Tenity. These firms bring deep experience across fintech, Web3 infrastructure, and global capital markets, and their involvement helps ensure that promising projects emerging from XRPL programs can access both funding and strategic guidance.
As more venture firms engage with the ecosystem, founders benefit from expanded pathways to scale their projects beyond the early experimentation stage and into fully funded companies building production-ready applications.
The XRPL ecosystem is entering a new phase of development
Supporting that growth requires an ecosystem funding model that is transparent, accessible, and distributed across multiple organizations. That model is taking shape across ecosystem programs, community-led initiatives, and independent partners working to support builders globally.
To provide a single point of entry for this evolving landscape, a new dedicated XRPL funding hub will soon launch, serving as a central resource for builders to discover the latest grants, accelerators, and support programs available across the entire ecosystem.
Additional details will be shared on initiatives such as the FinTech Builder Program and regional hub developments, including XRP Asia. Builders are encouraged to stay connected with the XRPL ecosystem through entities such as XRPL Commons, XAO DAO, and the XRPL Foundation for updates on funding opportunities and support programs.
