Overview
- RippleX engineering head J. Ayo Akinyele opened a public discussion on whether the XRP Ledger could support native staking as institutional interest grows following Canary’s XRP spot ETF.
- XRPL’s design uses a Proof of Association model with equal-weight validator voting and burns transaction fees, so any staking approach would need a new rewards source and a fair distribution method.
- CTO David Schwartz outlined two high-level ideas: a dual-layer system with a small incentivized inner validator set and a model that funds zero-knowledge proof verification with fees.
- Schwartz cautioned that both concepts are technically interesting but not practical in the near term due to complexity, risk, and misalignment with current network needs.
- Community contributors flagged governance and centralization risks, while off-ledger options such as sidechains and DeFi protocols including mXRP, Flare, and Doppler continue to provide yield-like returns for XRP holders.