Key Insights:
- XRP News: Evernorth would generate fixed yields on the upcoming XRPL lend protocol while attracting institutional borrowers.
- RPD testing on XRPL using stablecoin may attract institutions, avoiding volatility with XRP as a bridge asset.
- XRP ETFs witness a slowdown in momentum as crypto prices show bearishness.
XRP news is shaping up as treasury company Evernorth recently announced an upcoming native lending protocol on the XRPL. The announcement follows a reversal in inflows to spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and testing of Ripple Payment Direct (RPD).
XRP News: XRPL Lending Product Soon?
In a short video clip, Evernorth Chief Business Officer Sagar teased an upcoming native lending protocol on XRPL.
Sagar began by highlighting reconciliation at scale as the main problem of the XRP lending infrastructure. He explained that wallet-to-wallet loans can create three conflicting databases between the lender, the borrower, and the custodian.
To solve this challenge, the proposed lending amendment, XLS66, turns the blockchain ledger itself into an agreement.
Per the XRP news, repayment terms are built into the ledger, interest is enforced automatically, and collateral rules are programmatic. Thus, there is no need for separate records or reconciliation.
The lending tool unlocks a lot of XRP sitting unused. Currently, XRP has a huge market cap of approximately $82.7 billion.
With XLS66 and single-asset vaults, this capital can be brought on-chain for institutional borrowers and collateral managers. They can draw from these vaults, and that idle capital becomes productive capital.
Lenders lock XRP for a specific period and rate. Repayments are programmed to happen automatically on-chain according to the loan terms, with no manual intervention needed. It is like a built-in smart contract for credit markets directly on the XRPL.
Another key feature of the proposed lending tool is confidential transfers using zero-knowledge proofs. ZKPs allow transfers where sensitive details stay hidden from public view while still proving the transfer is valid.
Essentially, Evernorth sees the proposal as a way to generate native on-chain yield on its massive XRP holdings. Instead of just holding XRP, they plan to lend it via these vaults at fixed returns while attracting institutional borrowers.
Ripple Direct Payment Testing
In another XRP news, community member LJ on X shared an observation about Ripple and XRPL developments.
LJ disclosed testing of RPD, executed directly on the XRP Ledger with a stablecoin. For context, Ripple Payments Direct is an offering that allows businesses and institutions to send money cross-border quickly and cheaply, often using XRP.
However, rather than using XRP as a bridge asset, LJ noted that the recent transfer was settled with a stablecoin.
He also acknowledged that the production transaction was a small-scale internal or pilot test. Still, LJ noted that it is one of the first visible signs of RPD starting to run live payments natively on XRPL using stablecoins.
For years, Ripple has pushed XRP for cross-border payments, but institutions often prefer stablecoins because they avoid volatility.
Thus, seeing an RPD payment actually hit the public XRPL with a stablecoin shows progress toward using RLUSD for real settlement. It also indicates deeper integration of Ripple’s enterprise payment product with the public ledger.
Furthermore, it aligns with recent testing of RLUSD in trade finance pilots. For instance, the RLUSD stablecoin has entered a Singapore sandbox for trade finance testing.
XRP ETF Sees Zero Netflows
Despite the positive ecosystem developments, the XRP ETFs are experiencing a dwindling momentum. Per the XRP news, data from SoSoValue revealed a net zero-day inflows into the XRP ETFs on March 26, 2026.
All major issuers, including Canary, Franklin Templeton, 21Shares, Bitwise, and Grayscale, showed zero net inflows or outflows. This followed a small positive day on March 25, with $1.26 million in total inflows driven mainly by the Bitwise fund (XRP).
After an initial strong accumulation phase post-launch, the pace has slowed to steady, lower-single-digit millions per day. In March this year, the spot XRP ETFs recorded only a few inflow days, signaling weaker demand.