XRPL May Get a “Fresh Look”: Ripple CTO David Schwartz Floats Native Staking Concept
As recently shared by market analyst Diana, Ripple CTO David Schwartz has hinted that the XRP Ledger (XRPL) could be gearing up for significant evolution, even floating the idea of implementing native staking for the first time in its history.
Notably, this discussion signals that XRPL, long celebrated for its speed, scalability, and decentralized design, may be preparing to embrace new mechanisms to enhance network security, incentivization, and smart contract efficiency.
Schwartz’s remarks point to a possible fundamental overhaul of the XRPL, including a shift to a two-layer consensus model. In this design, 16 inner-layer validators, chosen by the outer layer based on stake, would operate under an incentivized system that uses staking and slashing to maintain network integrity.
Therefore, validators would earn rewards for honest participation and face penalties for harmful behavior, aligning economic incentives directly with the ledger’s security and performance.
What does this mean? Well, this marks a significant departure from XRPL’s long-standing reliance on its unique consensus protocol. Introducing native staking could incentivize greater validator participation while enhancing both security and decentralization.
It would also position XRPL to compete more directly with PoS-driven blockchains that use staking to boost engagement, liquidity, and long-term network resilience.
Schwartz also floated a path that preserves XRPL’s core consensus design: using transaction fees to fund zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs for smart contract execution. Instead of executing contracts themselves, nodes would simply verify cryptographic proofs that the computations were done correctly.
This approach could slash network-wide computational demands while retaining trustless verification, unlocking major gains in scalability and efficiency as XRPL expands into DeFi and other advanced applications.
Furthermore, these proposals signal far more than technical adjustments—they could reshape XRPL’s economic incentives and governance model. Native staking would promote deeper, long-term validator engagement, while a ZK-proof execution layer could expand smart contract adoption by lowering costs and reducing node workload.
Together, they highlight Ripple’s readiness to modernize XRPL for today’s blockchain landscape without sacrificing its core strengths: speed, security, and reliability.
Although Schwartz stressed that these ideas remain exploratory, the conversation itself underscores Ripple’s proactive push to keep XRPL competitive amid rapid industry evolution.
As blockchains experiment with new consensus and incentive models, a potential shift toward native staking or advanced proof systems could mark a pivotal transformation, reinforcing XRPL’s position as one of the market’s most resilient and adaptable ledgers.
Conclusion
Schwartz’s proposals mark a pivotal moment for the XRP Ledger—one that may require bold innovation to preserve its relevance and competitive edge. Whether through native staking, ZK-proof-driven execution, or a hybrid upgrade, the discussion underscores XRPL’s readiness to rethink long-standing architecture in pursuit of stronger security, greater scalability, and broader economic participation.
In a rapidly evolving blockchain landscape, this willingness to take a “fresh look” positions XRPL not just to keep up, but to potentially redefine industry standards in ledger performance and design.
