Ethereum-Compatible Smart Contracts now on the XRP Ledger

XRP on the XRPL EVM Sidechain comes from the XRP Ledger—you move it across the two networks rather than buying a separate token. The easiest way is the XRPL EVM wallet portal, which connects to both the XRP Ledger and the XRPL EVM Sidechain and walks you through transferring XRP from one to the other in a few clicks—no manual bridge configuration needed.

Under the hood the transfer is handled by the Axelar bridge, so you can also bridge assets directly if you prefer. Once the XRP lands on the sidechain it's the native gas token, ready to use across dApps.

The XRPL EVM Sidechain officially launched on mainnet on June 30, 2025, bringing full Ethereum-compatible smart contracts to the XRP Ledger.

Developers can start building on XRPL EVM today by visiting the Developer Portal.
To begin using the network—bridge assets, connect wallets, and explore dApps—check out the Get Started page.

The XRPL EVM Sidechain is a sidechain of the XRP Ledger, designed to extend its capabilities by introducing Ethereum-compatible smart contracts.

The two are tightly interconnected because they share XRP as their native currency, drawn from the same supply: every XRP on the sidechain originates on the XRP Ledger and is moved across, rather than minted independently. That keeps the two networks economically bound to a single XRP supply instead of running parallel assets.

Building on the XRPL EVM combines the power and efficiency of the XRP Ledger with Ethereum's smart contract compatibility.

It also puts you at the intersection of two large communities. You can tap into the established XRP Ledger ecosystem—one of the top 5 cryptocurrencies by market cap—while offering that audience the smart-contract experience it hasn't had natively before. At the same time, you make native XRP accessible to the massive community of EVM developers and users, using the familiar Ethereum tooling they already know.

The Cosmos SDK is a modular, open-source framework for building application-specific blockchains. Rather than deploying onto a shared, general-purpose chain, developers assemble a purpose-built network from composable modules—staking, governance, token transfers, and IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication)—while customizing the consensus and application logic to fit their use case.

The XRPL EVM is built on it because that modularity lets the chain run a full Ethereum-compatible execution layer while natively plugging into the wider Cosmos and XRPL ecosystems. IBC provides secure cross-chain messaging and asset transfers, and the SDK's battle-tested staking and governance modules underpin the validator set and on-chain decision-making. The result is a scalable, interoperable EVM chain that inherits proven infrastructure instead of reinventing it.

The Axelar bridge is a trustless, decentralized interoperability network that securely connects the XRPL EVM with the XRP Ledger. Watch the video tutorial to see how it works.

The XRPL EVM uses a Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus model, which prioritizes speed, efficiency, and security. This model was specifically chosen to mirror the XRP Ledger's own consensus algorithm as closely as possible, keeping the sidechain's trust and validation model familiar and closely aligned with the XRPL it extends.