XRP Ledger Not Getting EVM Integration: XRPL Foundation Executive

Thomas Silkjær, the XRP Ledger Foundation (XRPLF) Analytics Head, has debunked circulating claims that the XRPL is getting an EVM integration with the upcoming EVM sidechain.

Ripple’s XRPL EVM Sidechain

Ripple partnered with Peersyst Technology to develop an EVM sidechain for the XRP Ledger. This upcoming sidechain is expected to complement the XRPL’s functionalities by allowing XRPL developers to build EVM-compatible dApps and smart contracts.

The development of the XChainBridge, which should connect the EVM sidechain with the XRPL, has reached the advanced stage, according to Peersyst Technology. They have now launched an XRPL amendment and are looking to deploy the bridge.

Ripple recently collaborated with EasyA, a Web3 educational resource, to introduce XRPL learning modules for its over 750,000 developers. EasyA says the learning challenge, which centers on the upcoming EVM sidechain, will help users develop smart contracts on the XRPL.

XRPL Not Getting EVM Integration

However, Thomas Silkjær, Head of Analytics and Compliance at the XRPL Foundation, has come up to debunk these claims based on technicalities. 

Amid the excitement surrounding the potential opportunity for developers and users to launch smart contracts on the XRP Ledger, Silkjær said the network is, in fact, not getting an EVM integration. According to him, this is all a misconception.

In a recent post on X, The XRPL Foundation Analytics Head stressed that he has been witnessing reports and announcements about an XRPL EVM integration and how it could allow users to deploy smart contracts on the XRPL. 

I am seeing a lot of tweets today with statements such as “#XRPL‘s upcoming integration of EVM programmability.”, “Be one of the world’s first to deploy your smart contract on #XRPL” and “XRP Ledger’s all-new EVM”.

— Thomas Silkjær (@Silkjaer) January 29, 2024

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For the uninitiated, EVM, or the Ethereum Virtual Machine, is a runtime environment or machine that executes smart contracts on Ethereum, the premier smart contracts network. It is the foundation of dApp development on the blockchain.

Ethereum is the largest smart contracts platform, boasting numerous dApps, with a TVL of over $37 billion, per DeFiLlama data. As a result, users on other networks seek to leverage Ethereum-based apps on their native blockchains. This is achieved through EVM integration.

When a network integrates with the EVM, it gains the ability to run Ethereum-based smart contracts and facilitate interoperability with Ethereum. The recent reports on the XRPL EVM sidechain might have triggered the idea that the XRPL would be getting this functionality.

Silkjær’s latest remarks debunk this idea. He says the XRP Ledger is not integrated with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Instead, Ripple and Peersyst want to introduce a new sidechain with EVM compatibility.

This sidechain is entirely different from the XRPL and, according to Silkjær, does not work on the XRPL protocol. The sidechain will connect to the XRP Ledger through the XChainBridge, which Peersyst Technology and Ripple seek to deploy with the recent amendment.

Silkjær emphasized that the upcoming EVM sidechain is not any different from other sidechains for the XRPL. One such sidechain is Xahau, a network from XRPL Labs which features Hooks functionality.