Overview
- Ripple CTO David Schwartz outlined two early concepts, including a small incentivized inner validator layer and a model that channels fees to zero‑knowledge verification, while calling both premature.
- The XRPL uses a Proof of Association model with equal validator voting and burns transaction fees, so any staking design would need a new reward source and a fair distribution method.
- RippleX stressed that staking must not affect validator selection or voting power on the Unique Node List, addressing concerns about governance drift and validator clustering.
- Community discussion highlighted risks such as higher user fees and centralization pressures, with contributors asking what concrete problem staking would solve on XRPL.
- Context includes growing institutional attention after the first XRP spot ETF from Canary and ongoing off-ledger yield options involving XRP or wrapped XRP on platforms like Flare, Doppler, Uphold, Axelar and MoreMarkets.