XRP at center as Ripple lays out institutional DeFi blueprint for XRPL

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email XRP at center as Ripple lays out institutional DeFi blueprint for XRPL Ripple and XRPL developers say recent mainnet upgrades and upcoming features position the XRP Ledger as a hub for regulated, real-world finance. By Shaurya Malwa | Edited by Stephen Alpher Updated Feb 6, 2026, 1:05 p.m. Published Feb 6, 2026, 12:54 p.m. Make us preferred on Google Ripple What to know : Ripple and XRPL contributors are positioning the XRP Ledger as an institutional DeFi platform by combining compliance-focused infrastructure with XRP’s role as a settlement and bridge asset. New and upcoming features, including permissioned domains, credential-based access, privacy-preserving transfers, and the XLS-65/66 lending protocol, are designed to meet regulatory and risk-management requirements for on-chain credit and payments. An EVM sidechain bridged via Axelar aims to attract Solidity developers by offering familiar tooling while tapping XRPL’s liquidity, identity features, and XRP’s utility in collateral, reserves and fee-driven burn mechanics. Ripple and XRPL contributors have outlined a growing set of “institutional DeFi” building blocks on the XRP Ledger that aim to make the network viable for regulated financial activity, per a Thursday blog. XRP’s utility as a settlement and bridge asset is being highlighted as central to that infrastructure, with usecases ranging from from forex and stablecoin rails to tokenized collateral and native lending markets. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . The latest roadmap emphasizes features already live — such as multi-purpose token standards (MPT), permissioned domains with compliance tooling, credential-backed access and batch transactions — alongside upcoming releases that extend XRPL into credit markets and privacy-preserving workflows. Unlike many smart contract chains that bolt on compliance after the fact, XRPL’s approach has been to embed identity and control primitives at the protocol layer. Permissioned domains and credentials allow markets to gate participation by verified entities, a requirement institutions often cite as a barrier to onchain integration. On the payments and FX side, XRP’s role as an auto-bridge between assets continues to be cited as a demand driver, with stablecoin corridors and remittance flows adding to onchain volume and fee activity. Token escrows and object reserves denominated in XRP further tie network usage back to the native asset. Looking ahead, the introduction of XLS-65/66 — the XRPL lending protocol — is slated to offer pooled and underwritten credit on ledger without entirely offloading risk logic onchain. Single asset vaults, fixed-term lending and optional permissioning tools are designed to feel familiar to institutional risk managers while operating in an onchain settlement context. Privacy features like confidential transfers for MPTs, arriving in the first quarter, aim to satisfy enterprise and regulatory expectations around transaction-level anonymity and controlled disclosure. Critics have long pointed to XRPL’s lack of EVM-style programmability as a hindrance. The new EVM sidechain — bridged via the Axelar network — is meant to address this by letting Solidity developers tap into XRPL liquidity and identity features while accessing familiar tooling. XRP prices are down 22% over the past seven days, in line with a broader market drop.