XRPL Sidechain Bridges Ethereum to XRP Ledger in Q2 Launch

• Ripple is launching an EVM-compatible sidechain on XRPL, bringing Ethereum smart contracts to the XRP ecosystem.
• A bridge powered by Axelar and Squid will allow smooth token transfers between XRPL and the sidechain.

Ripple is set to launch an Ethereum-compatible sidechain on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) in Q2 2025, bringing Ethereum’s smart contract capabilities into the XRP ecosystem. The news was announced at the APEX 2025 conference in Singapore by Ripple CTO David Schwartz and product lead Jaazi Cooper. It’s being seen as the biggest step yet in expanding what’s possible on XRPL.

This move is XRPL’s first real dive into native Ethereum compatibility. The new EVM sidechain, built using evmOS and the Cosmos SDK, will run alongside the main XRP Ledger and open the doors to Solidity-based dApps, token swaps, liquidity pools, and yield farming, all powered by XRP in the background. With finality times under four seconds and barely-there fees, it brings together Ethereum’s flexibility and XRP’s speed in a way that just makes sense.

Since hitting testnet earlier this year, the XRPL EVM sidechain has already pulled in 87 new projects, most of which had never touched XRP before. They’re building everything from infrastructure and apps to cross-chain bridges. It’s a clear sign that the sidechain’s gaining traction fast, and it’s catching the eye of devs who usually stick to Ethereum. The early wave of builders shows there’s real momentum behind this and a growing interest from teams outside the usual XRP crowd.

Opening the Door for Mass Onboarding and DeFi

A big piece of the puzzle is the bridge built with Axelar and Squid Router, making it easy to move tokens between the XRPL mainnet and the new EVM sidechain. It keeps XRP and wrapped assets flowing smoothly across both layers. For developers, it’s all pretty straightforward,  you can use the usual Ethereum tools like Remix, Truffle, and MetaMask to deploy. On top of that, you get Proof-of-Authority security, Cosmos-powered interoperability, and super quick, low-cost transactions, basically, the best of both ecosystems.

Once it goes live, the sidechain will bring core DeFi building blocks like AMMs, liquidity pools, and tokenized assets, right into the XRP ecosystem. According to a recent academic paper, having an AMM built directly into the protocol could actually make swaps more efficient and reduce slippage compared to the way smart contracts usually handle it.

Ripple’s game plan here is pretty clear: keep the XRPL mainnet fast and simple, while pushing all the heavy smart contract stuff onto sidechains. That way, the core ledger keeps doing what it does best, real-time settlement and low fees, without having to sacrifice performance just to add new features.

With the mainnet launch just weeks out, dev docs, testnet faucets, and bridge tools are already up and running, getting everything in place for a smooth shift from devnet to full production.

By adding this EVM bridge to XRPL, Ripple’s looking to speed up adoption in areas like DeFi, tokenization, and Web3. The sidechain is shaping up to make XRP a real contender in the smart contract space, blending Ethereum’s flexibility with XRPL’s speed and ability to scale.

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