Ripple CTO Comments On Rising XRP Ledger | Crypto News
Ripple chief technology officer (CTO) David “JoelKatz” Schwartz used a late-Wednesday post on X to body a surge of funds and stablecoin firms launching their own base-layer networks as validation of blockchain’s position in finance—and to restate how the XRP Ledger’s design differs from the new entrants.
“We’ve been seeing more and more players in the payments and stablecoins space launch their own blockchains. To me, that’s a clear sign the market sees blockchain as core financial infrastructure — something we’ve believed in and have been building toward on the XRP Ledger for over 13 years,” he wrote, including, “Launching a blockchain is hard. Building an ecosystem with developers, liquidity, trust, and real-world usage is even harder.”
Competition For Ripple And The XRP Ledger?
Schwartz located XRPL’s posture in the long-running debate over community governance. “Some blockchains are built with permissioned validator sets controlled by one entity or a small group. This can provide control and compliance for specific, closed-network scenarios, but it limits reach, resilience, and the ability for anyone to contribute to securing and growing the network,” he wrote.
“As many of you know, the XRPL is public and permissionless at its core, with optional permissioned features for regulated use cases.” He argued that the ledger’s open base “makes it adaptable, interoperable, and well-positioned to serve as critical infrastructure for the world’s financial system — connecting assets, markets, and participants seamlessly across borders.”
The remarks arrive as two US fintech heavyweights transfer into L1 territory. Circle this week unveiled Arc, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 it says is “purpose-built for stablecoin finance,” with dollar-denominated charges (USDC as native fuel), opt-in privateness, a built-in RFQ-style FX engine, and “deterministic sub-second settlement finality” via the Malachite consensus engine. Circle says Arc will enter non-public testnet in the approaching weeks, goal public testnet in the autumn, and a mainnet beta in 2026.
Separately, Stripe is developing Tempo, a high-performance, payments-focused L1 being constructed in partnership with crypto VC firm Paradigm. Tempo is designed to run code appropriate with Ethereum, is at present in stealth with a small crew, and it stays unclear whether or not it’ll have a native token.
Schwartz also highlighted particular XRPL design selections he sees as aligned with financial-grade settlement. “It’s encouraging to see some newer chains adopt design choices that have long been part of the XRPL’s architecture, like deterministic finality … It shows there’s growing alignment in the industry on the importance of predictable, reliable settlement for financial applications without expensive validation,” he wrote.
He reiterated that XRPL charges are meant to keep “low and predictable, just fractions of a cent, without a separate gas token,” noting that “every transaction on the XRPL uses/burns XRP.” XRPL’s technical documentation specifies that each transaction destroys a small quantity of XRP as an anti-spam charge, and describes consensus guidelines aimed at deterministic ordering and finality.
Where Schwartz drew a line was on governance flexibility. He acknowledged that permissioned validator units could make sense for “specific, closed-network scenarios,” but underscored XRPL’s strategy: a public, permissionless core with opt-in controls for compliance wants.
The ledger’s native options embrace Authorized Trust Lines, Deposit Authorization/Preauthorization, and issuer-level freeze tooling for issued belongings—not for XRP itself—permitting regulated token issuers to gate or police flows without changing the complete community into a walled garden. XRPL’s own FAQ emphasizes that it’s a decentralized, public blockchain where modifications require supermajority validator approval.
The strategic distinction with the new fintech chains is already seen. Arc explicitly facilities USDC—making charges dollar-denominated and embedding Circle’s funds stack—whereas XRPL retains XRP for charges and settlement while supporting issued belongings through trust-line mechanics. If Tempo proceeds as reported, Stripe can be pursuing an Ethereum-compatible L1 optimized for predictable funds efficiency, doubtlessly mirroring Arc’s enterprise-centric pitch but with a broader merchant-services integration floor.
Schwartz closed on a intentionally expansive notice about the aggressive set: “Looking forward to the next phase of XRPL innovations, bringing more programmability, compliance-grade capabilities, and deeper liquidity for institutional use,” he wrote—before welcoming rivals: “And to those just getting started… Welcome to the party! The crypto tent is only getting bigger.”
At press time, XRP traded at $3.23.
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