A new era of cross-chain DeFi is here—bringing Ethereum compatibility and smart contract programmability to the XRP Ledger ecosystem.
After years of building and testing in collaboration with Peersyst and the broader XRPL ecosystem, the XRPL EVM Sidechain is now live on mainnet. This launch marks a significant milestone in bringing general-purpose smart contract capabilities to one of the most secure and scalable ecosystems in the industry. Developers can now build, port, and deploy cross-chain and EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) only dApps while tapping into XRPL’s deep liquidity and 12+ years of operational stability.
Developers have long sought EVM compatibility to scale and extend XRPL’s unique capabilities, opening the door to entirely new classes of decentralized apps, spanning lending, tokenization, payments, and beyond, on infrastructure optimized for speed, security, and scale.
“The XRPL EVM Sidechain introduces a flexible environment for developers to deploy EVM-based applications, while maintaining a connection to the XRPL’s efficiency. It extends the capabilities of the ecosystem without changing the fundamentals that make the XRPL reliable.”— David Schwartz, CTO of Ripple and Co-creator of the XRP Ledger
“With the launch of XRPL EVM, we’re unlocking a new era for XRP — one where it can flow seamlessly across the multichain world. This isn’t the finish line; it’s Day 1 of a much bigger journey toward interoperability, programmability, and utility at scale.” - Ferran Prat, CEO and Founder of Peersyst
What is the XRPL EVM Sidechain?
Over the past decade, the XRPL has continuously evolved to meet the needs of builders and institutions. It has expanded its functionality, enabling creation, transfer, and exchange of digital assets in compliance with global regulatory standards.
Now, the XRPL is evolving again and embracing a multi-chain future where interoperability is key.
XRPL EVM Sidechain is a fast and secure sidechain connected to XRPL via an Axelar bridge, a leading bridge protocol connected to over 80 blockchains. Axelar is the first interoperability provider to connect XRPL EVM, bridging the native gas asset XRP into the sidechain. Additionally, the sidechain is integrated with Squid as the official crosschain transfer UI app for XRPL and the EVM sidechain, elevating XRPL’s multichain capabilities.
"Crypto is entering an exciting phase as institutions and enterprises are pursuing compelling new use cases. The XRP Ledger EVM Sidechain is positioned to capture this rising demand and Axelar is the secure, institutional-grade connector that will make it possible." - Georgios Vlachos, director at Axelar Foundation and co-founder of the Axelar protocol.
As we progress, users will have yet more options available to them. Wormhole, one of the leading cross-chain interoperability protocols, is set to be integrated with XRPL EVM Sidechain. Wormhole enables over 200 applications spanning 35+ blockchain ecosystems.
While technically a separate blockchain, it is directly compatible, and developers can benefit right away from the XRPL’s unique characteristics and institutional focus.
Apart from Ethereum compatibility, the main features of the EVM Sidechain include:
Access to the XRPL Ecosystem: A vast network of 6M+ XRPL wallet holders.
Scalability and Performance: The sidechain offers faster block times compared to Ethereum's ~14 seconds, alongside low transaction costs, making it ideal for high-volume dApps.
XRP as Native Token: XRP serves as the native gas token for the XRPL EVM Sidechain
Compliance-Focused: The XRPL’s strong focus on regulatory compliance means that regulated assets can safely operate on-chain, providing EVM-developers peace of mind.
Robust Validator Network: The XRPL EVM Sidechain maintains a vibrant and global validator community with over 25 companies running validators.
Why the XRPL EVM Sidechain Matters
Traditionally, developers building smart contract applications had to choose between EVM compatibility or tapping into the unique advantages of the XRP Ledger. The XRPL EVM Sidechain eliminates that tradeoff.
By combining the best of both worlds, developers now get:
Full Ethereum compatibility with Solidity, MetaMask, Hardhat, and more
Fast, low-cost transactions via Proof of Authority consensus mechanism
A direct bridge to the XRP Ledger for access to 6M+ wallets and native liquidity
1000 TPS throughput to support real-time applications
Opportunities to build for the third-largest digital asset: XRP
Designed with Developers in Mind
Whether you’re a DeFi protocol looking to expand to new chains, a developer experimenting with smart contracts for the first time, or a builder searching for the next greenfield opportunity—the XRPL EVM Sidechain is built for you.
This is your chance to be among the first to launch cross-chain dApps powered by XRP. With a vibrant pipeline of ecosystem partners already building, there’s never been a better time to get started.
Building is Already Underway
Developing and launching the XRPL EVM Sidechain was a multi-company collaborative effort with Ripple, Peersyst, Axelar, and also prominent players in the Cosmos community. The XRPL EVM Sidechain has already attracted projects across DeFi which built novel, cross-chain apps, allowing XRPL users to interact with their protocols directly from Mainnet without needing a new, EVM sidechain wallet. They include:
Infrastructural Partners:
Band Protocol: Powering on-chain oracles with high-frequency price data feeds
Grove: Providing public RPC endpoints and infrastructure powered by Pocket Network
Axelar: Facilitating seamless cross-chain asset transfers
Squid: The official cross-chain transfer UI application between the XRPL and the XRPL EVM Sidechain.
Application Partners (coming soon):
Strobe: Strobe is a money market protocol that supports DeFi lending and overcollateralized borrowing on XRPL.
Securd: A lending protocol designed to provide secure, passive income to asset holders by financing collateralized leverage across DeFi positions.
Vertex: A derivatives trading platform optimizing capital efficiency
Blockchain Tooling and Indexing Platforms:
Blockscout: Provides the EVM block explorer
Goldsky: High-performance custom indexing via scalable and easy-to-use subgraphs
Together, these partners are unlocking new utility for XRP and accelerating developer momentum on the XRPL EVM Sidechain.
Getting Started
Developers can begin building today using Grove’s public endpoint and tools, with full documentation available here: https://docs.xrplevm.org/.
“The XRPL EVM Sidechain unlocks a new frontier for builders—where smart contracts, XRP liquidity, and cross-chain interoperability converge. With Grove and Pocket Network providing public RPC access and decentralized infrastructure, developers can now build dApps that serve both humans and agents, reliably and at scale. This launch marks a major milestone in expanding what’s possible with the battle tested XRP asset.” - Arthur Sabintsev, CEO of Grove (builders of Pocket Network)
To learn more about the XRPL EVM Sidechain, and the complementary role it serves in bringing Ethereum-Compatible Smart Contracts on the XRP Ledger Ecosystem, check out: https://www.xrplevm.org/.
The launch of the XRPL EVM Sidechain marks a major expansion of what’s possible with XRP. It brings general-purpose programmability to one of the most established and secure networks in crypto—and it’s just the beginning.
If you’re building the next unicorn DeFi protocol, there’s no better place to launch.
