At the APEX 2025 conference in Singapore, Ripple executives confirmed that the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible sidechain for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) is scheduled to go live on mainnet in Q2 2025.
The update was shared by Jaazi Cooper, Director of Product Management at Ripple, and David Schwartz, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer.
🔗 EVM Sidechain Expands XRPL’s Capabilities
The EVM-compatible sidechain will allow developers to deploy Ethereum-based smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) directly within the XRPL ecosystem—while maintaining compatibility with tools such as MetaMask, Solidity, and existing Ethereum-based protocols.
EVM compatibility opens new opportunities for the XRP Ledger, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi), where users can interact with applications like liquidity pools, yield-generating smart contracts, and automated market makers (AMMs).
📈 Rapid Growth During Testnet Phase
The XRPL EVM sidechain testnet, developed by Peersyst Technologies, has been live since early 2025 and has already gained significant traction.
“87 new entities – with no prior XRP involvement – are now contributing to the ecosystem: infrastructure, apps, and demand generation,” Peersyst stated on X.
“When mainnet goes live, all of it becomes part of the XRP ecosystem – possibly the biggest onboarding in XRP history.”
This momentum reflects growing developer interest in building within the XRPL ecosystem using Ethereum-compatible tools.
🛠 What to Expect
Once the sidechain goes live on mainnet, it will offer:
- Seamless deployment of Ethereum smart contracts
- Integration with XRPL accounts and native assets
- A gateway for DeFi protocols and interoperable applications
- Increased developer accessibility via familiar EVM tooling
The launch is expected to further bridge Ethereum’s dApp ecosystem with XRPL’s speed, low cost, and scalability, reinforcing XRPL’s positioning as an enterprise-grade Layer 1 blockchain with multi-chain support.
Conclusion:
The XRPL EVM sidechain represents a major technical milestone for the XRP Ledger and could significantly accelerate on-chain activity, DeFi participation, and cross-ecosystem development as it transitions from testnet to mainnet in Q2 2025.
