On June 30th, the XRPL EVM sidechain was officially launched on the mainnet, introducing Ethereum smart contracts to the XRP Ledger ecosystem. This breakthrough opens up new scenarios for Ethereum-compatible decentralized applications for the XRP Ledger.

The sidechain, launched by a blockchain network associated with cross-border payment company Ripple, allows developers to build, port, and deploy cross-chain Ethereum-compatible applications within the XRP ecosystem. Officials stated that this parallel-running blockchain combines the low-cost transaction advantages of the XRP Ledger with the smart contract functionality of Ethereum, opening up channels for new types of decentralized applications such as lending, asset tokenization, and payments on an infrastructure that optimizes speed, security, and scalability.

It is reported that the XRPL EVM sidechain was developed in cooperation by Ripple, Peersyst, and Axelar, and adopts Evmos' software architecture. Although the XRP Ledger previously supported limited native smart contract programming, it has not been compatible with EVM. However, the Flare network integrated with the XRP Ledger has separately provided smart contract functionality through the EVM-compatible layer. The sidechain connects to the XRPL mainnet via Axelar as the exclusive cross-chain bridge for transferring assets such as wrapped XRP, which will serve as the sidechain's native fuel token.