Big News for XRP: EVM Sidechain Launching in Q2, Ondo Finance on XRP Ledger and More

The XRP ecosystem is undergoing a period of rapid development, marked by key advancements aimed at enhancing its smart contract capabilities, institutional engagement, and role in the tokenization of real-world assets.Trade Crypto on KrakenRipple has announced that the long-anticipated Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible sidechain for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) will go live in Q2 2025. The update was shared at the APEX 2025 conference by Ripple CTO David Schwartz and product management director Jaazi Cooper.💡 The one and only @JoelKatz and Ripple’s @jazzicoop announced the XRPL EVM is going live Q2 at Apex featuring some DeFi apps like @StrobeFinance @vertex_protocol, @SecurdLabs and @squidrouter building on it 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/EPhz1JcdiAThe EVM sidechain, currently operating on a testnet, is being developed in collaboration with Peersyst Technologies. Once live on mainnet, the sidechain will allow Ethereum-based decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts to run on XRPL, bridging the network with the broader DeFi ecosystem. This integration leverages evmOS and will use Axelar as the exclusive bridge for transferring assets, including wrapped XRP, which will serve as the native gas token.Peersyst reported that over 87 new entities, previously unaffiliated with XRP, have joined the testnet ecosystem—marking what could become one of the largest onboarding events in XRPL history. The sidechain aims to provide users with new opportunities for yield generation through DeFi protocols and decentralized applications.Further bolstering XRPL’s status in the realm of real-world asset tokenization, Ondo Finance has launched its flagship tokenized U.S. Treasury product, Ondo Short-Term U.S. Government Treasuries (OUSG), on the network. This integration allows institutional investors to mint and redeem OUSG tokens around the clock using Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin.1/ We’re bringing tokenized real-world assets to the XRP Ledger.

Ondo Finance’s flagship short-term US Treasuries fund, OUSG, is now live on the XRPL—with seamless minting and redemptions via @Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD. pic.twitter.com/E4lH9C8tE6With an initial XRPL-based supply of $30 million and broader support from Ripple for liquidity, OUSG aims to serve as a high-quality, on-chain asset for cash management, DeFi collateral, and trading purposes. The product joins a growing roster of tokenized treasuries, which have seen their total market value surge to over $7 billion in the past year.The launch aligns with Ripple’s larger strategy to position XRPL as a central platform for tokenized assets. Additional initiatives include plans for issuing digital commercial paper and tokenized real estate platforms built on XRPL, as major institutions continue exploring blockchain-based asset solutions.In a major institutional adoption move, Nasdaq-listed VivoPower International has partnered with Flare Network to deploy $100 million worth of XRP tokens in a yield-generating strategy. The initiative utilizes Flare’s FAssets system, which enables non-smart contract tokens like XRP to interact with DeFi protocols.VivoPower plans to leverage protocols such as Firelight to generate returns on its XRP treasury and will reinvest the earnings to further expand its XRP holdings. The company also revealed plans to adopt Ripple’s U.S. dollar stablecoin, RLUSD, as its primary cash-equivalent reserve.Kevin Chin, VivoPower’s CEO, framed the strategy as part of a broader transition toward a digital asset-focused treasury model. “It’s no longer enough to simply hold XRP; the duty to our shareholders is to make it productive,” he said. Flare co-founder Hugo Philion called the deployment a milestone for institutional adoption of programmable DeFi infrastructure.Get Started on eToroeToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.