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- The XRPL is now available for developers to explore and test on AlphaNet, a dedicated development network.
- Developers familiar with EVM programming and WASM can now explore how to reduce migration friction with the XRPL.
The XRP Ledger (XRPL), initially launched in 2012, has launched native smart contract functionality on its AlphaNet test environment. This development offers developers their first real‑world sandbox to build, test, and iterate decentralized applications (dApps) directly on XRPL.
According to a recent post on DEV Community by developer Denis Angell, XRPL’s smart contract amendment is now “available for developers to explore and test on AlphaNet, a dedicated development network.”
Historically, XRPL has been known for ultra‑fast payments, native token issuance, an on‑ledger decentralized exchange (DEX), and payment rails, but without full on‑chain programmability akin to platforms like Ethereum (ETH).
That’s changing with XRPL’s new smart contract architecture, which now allows developers to deploy WebAssembly (WASM) bytecode to so‑called pseudo‑accounts. The ledger also introduces new transaction types —ContractCreate, ContractCall, and ContractModify —giving developers a flexible toolkit for building on-chain logic.
These contracts aren’t isolated programs; they can interact with XRPL’s native features like emitting transactions, maintaining contract state, and integrating seamlessly with built-in primitives like payments, tokens, and NFTs.
Unlike more restrictive systems, this design is permissionless, meaning developers don’t need approval from a Unique Node List (UNL) to deploy contracts, opening the door for anyone to experiment and innovate directly on XRPL.
This will be made possible since the ledger already supports the creation of custom tokens (IOUs) representing stablecoins, assets, or other currencies. All these features are to undergo feedback and refinement ahead of main‑net launch.
The supported transaction types include virtually any XRPL transaction, such as Payment that sends XRP, tokens, or MPTs, TrustSet, and OfferCreate that creates DEX orders.
This also includes NFTokenMint, EscrowCreate/EscrowFinish, which utilize escrow functionality, and AccountSet, which modifies account settings. This flexibility enables developers to leverage XRPL’s full range of native features within smart contracts.
Network Growth and On-Chain Growth
CNF recently reported that Mastercard has partnered with Ripple, Gemini, and WebBank to pilot RLUSD stablecoin settlements for credit card transactions on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). XRPL will be used to settle these transactions, thereby driving greater adoption of the ledger.
At the same time, Santiment observed a notable uptick in network activity, recording 21,595 new XRP wallets created on XRPL within just 48 hours —the fastest two-day surge since March 2025 and an eight-month high.
The XRPL real-world asset (RWA) market cap has climbed to a new record of $364 million in Q3 2025, while the ledger burned approximately 14.2 million XRP, contributing to long-term supply reduction.
The Total Value Locked (TVL) in XRPL DeFi protocols has reached $79.7 million, up 4.99% over the last 24 hours. Other key metrics highlight the growing strength of XRPL: the stablecoin market cap stands at $386.31 million, reflecting a 7-day gain of 22.75%, with RLUSD maintaining a 67.88% dominance.
As of this writing, XRP trades at $2.27, down 8.6% over the past week but still showing a 4.56% daily gain, with a total market capitalization of $137 billion.
