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The blockchain solutions provider Ripple Labs, which oversees the development of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), is set to launch an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible sidechain before the end of this quarter.
The firm made the announcement at the ongoing XRPL Apex event in Singapore. Ripple’s Apex 2025 is a three-day summit (June 10-12) that unites developers, researchers, innovators, businesses, and the broader crypto community to celebrate blockchain technology and the XRPL ecosystem.
XRPL EVM Sidechain to Go Live in Q2
Ripple’s Director of Product Management, Jaazi Cooper, and Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, announced the upcoming EVM-compatible sidechain launch during the first day of the event.
According to Peersyst Technology, a validator and contributor to the XRPL, the EVM sidechain features 87 entities, including decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, oracles, and indexers. The chain is also seeing contributions from decentralized applications (dApps), auditors, bridges, wallets, and explorers, as seen on the ecosystem map. Most of these entities had no prior involvement with XRPL or XRP, the native cryptocurrency of the XRPL.
The sidechain has experienced remarkable growth within two months of operating on the testnet. Developers launched the XRPL EVM sidechain testnet on March 31, calling on developers to follow suit by migrating their projects from the devnet.
Expanding the XRPL Ecosystem
When the chain goes live in the coming weeks, all new entities, applications, and partners will become part of the XRP ecosystem. Peersyst stated that the XRPL EVM will be the most effective tool for facilitating the largest onboarding of users and projects in the XRP ecosystem.
The launch of the chain will enable developers and network participants to run Ethereum-based decentralized applications and smart contracts on the XRPL, generating more demand for the network and its assets.
“Exciting times ahead for XRPL EVM – and this is just the beginning,” said Unity Nodes, a contributor to the EVM sidechain.
The latest developments come as a date crucial to the legal battle between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) draws nearer. The SEC must report the $50 million settlement agreement with Ripple to the Appeal Court by June 16; otherwise, the case will be delayed for another two months.
Meanwhile, XRP has recovered significantly from the toll the lawsuit took on its price performance. The asset is up more than 370% in a year, according to data from CoinMarketCap.
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