Ripple CTO David Schwartz recently shed light on the current limited capabilities of the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
Fixed Functions of XRP Ledger
In a recent interaction on X (formerly Twitter), a user asked about the smart contract capabilities of XRPL. Schwartz responded that XRPL currently does not support native smart contracts, emphasizing its fixed-function nature. 'There are none today. Today, XRPL is a fixed-function ledger,' the Ripple CTO noted.
Promise of Improvements
XRP Ledger was initially designed with a focus on speed, efficiency, and low transaction costs, making it particularly suited for payments and currency exchange. However, its design, which prioritizes performance and reliability, resulted in limited programmability, such as executing complex smart contracts. Despite this, features like escrows, NFTs, authorized trust lines, payment channels, and DEX + AMM provide a common set of primitives for various use cases.
Future Programmability of XRP Ledger
While XRPL does not currently support native smart contracts, Ripple is exploring ways to enhance the ledger’s functionality in this area. According to a recent announcement, Ripple and the XRP community are committed to introducing advanced programmability, including smart contracts, to the XRP Ledger developer ecosystem by 2025. XRPL's programmability will improve through two key developments: the introduction of native smart contract capabilities on the XRPL mainnet, which is currently in the research phase, and the XRPL EVM Sidechain, expected to go live in the coming months. Existing smart contract standards, such as Hooks from XRPL Labs, will lay an important foundation for enhancing mainnet capabilities.
Thus, while XRP Ledger already shows significant achievements in transactional services, the near future promises substantial improvements in programmability.
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