Ripple’s XRPL EVM Sidechain Mainnet is Now Live

According to an update from Ripple, the long-awaited XRPL EVM Sidechain is now live on mainnet.

A few highlights of what this entails include:

• Full EVM compatibility with Solidity, MetaMask, Hardhat, and more
• PoA consensus and more than 25 validators
• 3.4 seconds block time and over 1,000 TPS
• XRP as a native gas token
• Smart contract support via the Ethereum Virtual Machine

Speaking on the matter was David Schwartz, CTO at Ripple and the co-creator of the XRP Ledger, who said:

“The XRPL EVM Sidechain introduces a flexible environment for developers to deploy EVM-based applications, while maintaining a connection to the XRPL’s efficiency. It extends the capabilities of the ecosystem without changing the fundamentals that make the XRPL reliable.”

What is the XRPL EVM Sidechain?

The XRPL EVM Sidechain brings forward a secure and fast side network that is connected to the main XRP Ledger through the Axelar bridge.

This provides greater optionality of users and even though it is technically its own separate network, it is directly compatible and native XRPL developers can benefit from its unique characteristics and broader institutional focus.

Some of the main features, besides the above, include:

• It’s focused on compliance
• It has a robust network of validators (mostly corporate)
• The sidechain offers very fast block times compared to Ethereum’s native chain