Ripple Unveils XRPL Roadmap for Institutional Finance
On September 22, 2025, Ripple announced a new development roadmap for the XRP Ledger (XRPL). The update introduces tools designed for institutional finance. These tools aim to compete with other enterprise blockchains in tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) and attracting regulated financial firms.
The upgrades will launch with XRPL Version 3.0.0, pending validator approval. Key features focus on compliant on-chain credit, advanced RWA tokenization, and enhanced privacy.
New Tools for Lending, Tokenization, and Compliance
Ripple’s blog post highlights a native lending protocol as the roadmap’s centerpiece. This protocol, defined in the XLS-66 specification, enables pooled lending and underwritten credit directly on the ledger.
The update also introduces the Multi-Purpose Token (MPT) standard. MPTs represent complex financial instruments like bonds. For compliance, Ripple added tools such as Credentials for decentralized identity verification and Deep Freeze, which lets issuers freeze tokens in flagged accounts.
Looking ahead, Ripple plans to integrate Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) for confidential transactions. The first use case will be confidential MPTs, expected in the first quarter of 2026.
XRPL’s Growing Role in Institutional DeFi
These tools position XRPL as a stronger competitor to institutional platforms like Aave on Polygon and Trader Joe on Avalanche. Ripple focuses on finance and security features as all major enterprise blockchains develop confidentiality solutions.
The roadmap also intensifies competition in the multi-trillion dollar RWA tokenization market. XRPL’s native protocol approach contrasts with the more flexible, application-heavy ecosystems of Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible chains.
Ripple aims to increase its share of the decentralized finance (DeFi) market, especially in RWA tokenization. The success of this strategy depends on adoption by financial institutions and XRPL’s ability to attract liquidity from rivals.
