According to an update from Ripple, the long-awaited XRPL EVM Sidechain is now live on mainnet.

A few highlights of what this entails include:

• Full EVM compatibility with Solidity, MetaMask, Hardhat, and more
• PoA consensus and more than 25 validators
• 3.4 seconds block time and over 1,000 TPS
• XRP as a native gas token
• Smart contract support via the Ethereum Virtual Machine

Speaking on the matter was David Schwartz, CTO at Ripple and the co-creator of the XRP Ledger, who said:

“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.”

What is the XRPL EVM Sidechain?

The XRPL EVM Sidechain brings forward a secure and fast side network that is connected to the main XRP Ledger through the Axelar bridge.

This provides greater optionality of users and even though it is technically its own separate network, it is directly compatible and native XRPL developers can benefit from its unique characteristics and broader institutional focus.

Some of the main features, besides the above, include:

• It’s focused on compliance
• It has a robust network of validators (mostly corporate)
• The sidechain offers very fast block times compared to Ethereum’s native chain

Ripple’s USD-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD, closed Q1 2025 with a combined market capitalization of $244.2 million across the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ethereum.

On XRPL alone, RLUSD reached a market cap of $44.2 million, making it the largest stablecoin on the network, according to the latest report by Messari. Due this growth, the total market cap of fungible tokens, known as Issued Currencies, surged by 6.5% QoQ to $281.5 million.

RLUSD Stablecoin: Q1 2025

Despite this milestone, stablecoin adoption on XRPL remains limited compared to dominant stablecoins like Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which ended Q1 with total market caps of $144.0 billion and $60.1 billion, respectively, across all supported networks.

Historically, the introduction of a trusted stablecoin in a new execution environment has triggered major liquidity events, as seen with Cardano’s iUSD in 2023, often serving as a key pairing asset in automated market makers (AMMs).

Until recently, regulatorily compliant tokens like RLUSD, which feature Clawback – a mechanism on XRPL that lets issuers retrieve distributed tokens – were not compatible with the network’s automated market maker (AMM) due to the lack of Clawback support. This changed in January when the AMM Clawback amendment was implemented, allowing such tokens to be traded on the AMM.

The update is expected to boost AMM activity as more compliant assets launch on XRPL. Potential applications include enabling on-chain trading of previously illiquid real-world assets (RWAs), earning yields through AMM participation, and cross-chain price arbitrage.

Adoption Curve

RLUSD launched publicly on December 17, 2024, on both XRPL and Ethereum. It is fully backed by US dollar deposits, short-term US Treasuries, and other cash equivalents, with monthly attestations provided by third-party firms. In January, Ripple announced the integration of Chainlink Price Feeds on Ethereum to provide RLUSD pricing data.

In April, RLUSD was added to Ripple’s cross-border payment platform, Ripple Payments, while Kraken launched trading support. Additional Q1 listings came from LMAX Group, Zero Hash, and Bitstamp, joining Uphold, Bitso, MoonPay, Archax, CoinMENA, Independent Reserve, and Bullish.

Further boosting infrastructure around RLUSD, Korean custody provider BDACS signed a strategic partnership with Ripple in February to offer custody services for XRP, RLUSD, and other digital assets.

Ripple is set to acquire global prime brokerage platform Hidden Road for $1.25 billion.

According to an April 8 statement, this acquisition makes Ripple the first crypto-native firm to own and operate a multi-asset prime broker with an established institutional network.

Ripple noted that the deal will deepen its institutional service offerings and build a direct bridge between traditional financial markets and blockchain-powered ecosystems.

Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple CEO, stated that the deal represents one of the largest ever in the crypto space. However, he pointed out that:

“The price tag isn’t what’s most important – it’s that this deal marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for crypto to access the largest and most trusted traditional markets, and vice versa.”

Hidden Road offers institutional clients several services, including trade clearing, prime brokerage, and financing. These services include foreign exchange, digital assets, derivatives, fixed income, and swaps.

Ripple sees this infrastructure as a critical step toward accelerating institutional adoption of blockchain-powered financial tools.

How Ripple will integrate with Hidden Road

Ripple plans to integrate its enterprise-grade stablecoin, RLUSD, into Hidden Road’s brokerage services as part of the deal.

RLUSD will serve as collateral for cross-margining between crypto and traditional instruments, making it the first stablecoin to support such utility at scale.

Also, Hidden Road will leverage XRP and the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to streamline trade settlement. This setup is expected to cut settlement times from hours to minutes and significantly reduce operational costs.

Garlinghouse said:

“Instead of waiting for <24 hours to settle trades through fiat rails, Hidden Road will be using XRPL for clearing a portion of trades, and most consequentially, using RLUSD as collateral across its prime brokerage services, including cross-asset (crypto and traditional instrument) trades.”

Ripple believes this move will showcase the ledger’s ability to power enterprise-grade decentralized finance solutions.

Beyond prime brokerage, Ripple expects to strengthen its cross-border payment services and offer advanced custody solutions to institutional clients through the acquisition. The goal is to deliver secure, cost-effective tools that bridge the gap between digital and traditional finance at scale.

Mentioned in this article

XRP Ledger Coin Price History and Predictions 

It a highly secure system that functions without the need for a centralized database, governing body or a central administrator.
The XRP Ledger enables direct transfer of value from one account to another without an intermediary. It uses a consensus-based mechanism to order transactions and prevent double spending. The network is open source and anyone can join, send funds and develop applications on the XRP Ledger.
The native coin of XRPL is called XRP and it is used to pay transaction fees on the network. There is a limited supply of XRP, but only around half have been issued so far. The remaining coins are held in escrow by Ripple, the company behind the project. This means that Ripple has control over the supply of XRP and can decide when to release or burn them.
XRP can be used to facilitate payments between two parties in any currency, including fiat and cryptocurrencies. It can be used to transfer value between individuals or businesses and can even be used to settle cross-border payments in real-time. As XRP is a digital asset, it can also be used as a bridge asset to exchange different cryptocurrencies quickly and at lower cost than doing it via traditional methods.
XRP Ledger (XRPL) where to buy-trade
Popular cryptocurrency exchange;
And so on....
Note: Cryptocurrency is high invest risk, invest only as much as you are ready to lose.