Anthony Welfare, a former Ripple CBDC adviser, highlighted the technical strengths of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) in a recent interview with the AllinCrypto Podcast. While the ledger offers speed, low costs, and a native decentralized exchange, Welfare emphasized that technology alone won't drive adoption. Institutions must address practical concerns like liquidity, custody, compliance, and interoperability before fully embracing the network.
Welfare noted that the XRP asset and the XRP Ledger serve different purposes, allowing institutions to leverage the ledger's functions without relying on the token. He predicted that private blockchains will expand first, with some activity later anchoring to public networks. Stablecoins could also reduce payment friction and create new opportunities for existing players, rather than eliminating them.
Recent developments support Welfare's view of a multi-chain future. A European consortium is targeting euro stablecoin adoption across several networks, including the XRP Ledger. The IMF has also mapped the XRP Ledger alongside other public ledgers in discussions of tokenized finance. Ripple has expanded partnerships, including Ripple Prime services for Brevan Howard and an integration with DriveWealth using RLUSD on the XRP Ledger.
Evernorth, a Ripple-backed vehicle holding about 473 million XRP, debuted on Nasdaq under the ticker XRPN this week. Shares opened at $16.68, briefly climbed to $19.38, and closed at $16.91 on Monday, October 12. On Wednesday, October 14, XRPN closed at $15.26, down 7.40%. This gives traditional investors stock-market exposure to a large XRP treasury without buying tokens directly. As of mid-October, XRP price is up 1.72% over the past 24 hours, trading near $1.34, but price action remains volatile.