The XRP Ledger (XRPL) has launched its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) sidechain on mainnet, allowing Ethereum-based dApps to run on its network. Ripple, Peersyst, and Axelar worked together on the project, which went live this week to expand XRPL’s smart contract features and compatibility.
According to the press release, this new sidechain lets developers build and deploy Ethereum-style applications using tools like Solidity, MetaMask, and Hardhat. It opens the door to dApps focused on lending, payments, and tokenization while using XRP as the native gas token. “It extends the capabilities of the ecosystem without changing the fundamentals that make the XRPL reliable,” said Ripple CTO David Schwartz.
The sidechain has a block time of 3.4 seconds and can handle 1,000 transactions per second. It is linked to the XRP Ledger through Axelar Bridge, which also connects to over 80 other blockchain networks. Axelar confirmed that users can now move ETH, XRP, and USDC using Squid, its official transfer interface.
Peersyst CEO Ferran Prat called the launch “Day 1 of a much bigger journey toward interoperability, programmability, and utility at scale.” Developers can now use XRPL’s speed and low fees while tapping into Ethereum’s large ecosystem of tools and apps.
The EVM sidechain technically runs on a separate network but remains compatible with XRPL. It’s designed to handle apps from different blockchains and makes it easy to move tokens between them
Meanwhile, it will soon integrate with Wormhole, a popular protocol that connects more than 35 blockchains and 200 applications. Other projects like Band Protocol, Grove, and Squid are already building on the sidechain, with more dApps set to launch.
Georgios Vlachos, co-founder of Axelar, said the sidechain is “positioned to capture this rising demand” as crypto enters a new phase of institutional use. The XRPL EVM sidechain brings a fresh wave of possibilities to both XRP holders and Ethereum developers.
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