Ripple Seeks to Withdraw XRPL XChainBridge Amendment
Key Takeaways
- •Ripple is recommending that the XRP Ledger community withdraw the XChainBridge (XLS-38) amendment, which was designed to bring native cross-chain bridging to the network.
- •Ripple cannot remove the amendment on its own because it controls only one validator vote, and any withdrawal requires at least 80% of trusted validators to support the change continuously for roughly two weeks.
- •Ripple selected the Axelar network, which has more than 75 validators and interoperates with over 50 blockchains, to serve the XRPL EVM Sidechain, a decision first announced in June 2024.
- •Removing XChainBridge would let developers eliminate more than 10,000 lines of dormant bridge code, an area of heightened security concern following major cross-chain exploits such as the 2022 Ronin Network and Wormhole hacks.
- •Ripple stated that its position could change if developers present compelling use cases that justify keeping XLS-38.
Ripple is recommending that the $XRP Ledger community withdraw the long-running XChainBridge (XLS-38) amendment, which was designed to bring cross-chain bridging to the network.
According to Ripple, the technology is no longer needed for its main intended use case and has not attracted enough developer demand.
Ripple cannot remove the feature on its own, because it controls only one validator vote on the $XRP Ledger. Any withdrawal must still go through the network’s standard amendment process, under which protocol changes take effect only after at least 80% of trusted validators support them continuously for roughly two weeks.
XLS-38 was introduced as a native bridging framework for the $XRP Ledger. The proposal would let assets move between the XRPL mainnet and connected sidechains through the use of "witness servers."
The system was built for custom sidechains, including private and permissioned networks, as well as experimental chains. It was also originally meant to serve as the bridge between the $XRP Ledger and the XRPL EVM Sidechain, a network designed to run Ethereum-compatible smart contracts and bring Solidity developers and standard Ethereum tooling into the XRPL ecosystem.
Ripple points to Axelar integration
Ripple said it selected the Axelar network for the EVM Sidechain. Axelar currently has more than 75 validators and supports interoperability with more than 50 blockchain networks.
Ripple first decided to use Axelar for the XRPL EVM Sidechain in June 2024. At the time, the company said XLS-38 would remain available for a community vote.
Ripple now says there is little evidence that sufficient demand for the amendment exists.
"The primary use case that motivated XLS-38's development is fully addressed, and we believe better addressed, by the Axelar integration," RippleX said.
The company also said that keeping the dormant implementation has become a liability. Removing XChainBridge would allow developers to eliminate more than 10,000 lines of code. Bridge code draws particular scrutiny across the crypto industry, where cross-chain exploits — including the Ronin Network and Wormhole hacks of 2022, two of the largest crypto thefts on record — have made bridge security and code maintenance a standing concern.
Ripple’s position could still change. Developers building around XLS-38 have been asked to present compelling use cases that could persuade the company to reverse its decision.
