Ripple Is Expanding the Capabilities of the XRP Ledger (XRPL)

input: Ripple is taking steps to expand the capabilities of the XRP Ledger (XRPL). They've just announced their vision for programmability.

Ripple is incrementally expanding the capabilities of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) with programmability. The XRP Ledger Extensibility Team has shared its proposed vision for how developers can integrate custom logic into XRPL features, aiming to enhance its functionality while preserving its core strengths—speed and reliability.

The team’s vision, shared in a recent blog post, focuses on introducing permissionless programmability to XRPL, allowing developers to add custom business logic to the network. This programmability is envisioned to be an extension of the XRPL’s consensus protocol, enabling it to execute any program written in a safe and efficient language.

The team has been exploring the best way to implement programmability and, after gathering feedback from the XRPL community, has decided Web Assembly (WASM) would be an ideal language to support, given its efficiency and compatibility with XRPL’s current setup.

The integration of programmability is part of a broader effort to make the XRP Ledger even more flexible, maintaining its simplicity and efficiency.

XRPL EVM Sidechain: Connecting to the Ethereum World

Another initiative is the development of an EVM sidechain that will be able to interoperate with the XRP Ledger. This sidechain, powered by the Web3 Foundation’s Substrate and aiming for equivalence with the Ethereum Mainnet, will allow developers familiar with the Ethereum ecosystem to quickly develop applications using Solidity and the EVM.

This cross-chain solution offers key benefits. Projects will be among the first to build on a new sidechain, and they can connect with the growing XRP community and easily develop using familiar Ethereum tools. However, it’s important to note this sidechain is not intended to replace mainnet programmability. Instead, it’s an additional resource for projects that require different types of programmability.

Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPTs): Combining the Best of Tokens

The XRP community also proposed Multi-Purpose Tokens, or MPTs, a new type of token that blends the strengths of standard crypto tokens and NFTs.

MPTs allow attaching important details (metadata) to tokens, making them more flexible than regular tokens yet less specialized than NFTs. This new standard, currently under review, is intended to simplify the tokenization and trading of assets like bonds and real estate, potentially offering greater efficiency and control for financial products.

The team plans to release smart escrows later this year, followed by smart contracts in the future. By taking small, measured steps, Ripple aims to carefully introduce programmability to XRPL, making it more powerful without sacrificing its efficiency.