Ripple Plans to Attract More Developers Through the Creation of an Ethereum Complementary Chain, Says Chief Technology Officer
The Ripple-backed XRPL EVM Sidechain, launched in June, has aimed to lower barriers for Ethereum-based developers to experiment within the XRP Ledger ecosystem. By enabling Solidity smart contracts and compatibility with major Ethereum developer tools, the sidechain allows for easier porting and creation of decentralized applications (dApps), leveraging the XRP Ledger’s key benefits such as ultra-low transaction fees, fast finality, and high throughput.
The initiative is backed by a $1 billion XRP grant program, designed to attract more developers, startups, and institutions to build on the sidechain. In its early stages, approximately 1,400 smart contracts were deployed within the first week, indicating active developer engagement.
However, despite the promising start, overall development and adoption metrics remain modest compared to Ethereum. As of August 2025, the XRPL EVM sidechain has only about 168 developers, a stark contrast to Ethereum’s 8,448 developers. The sidechain's TVL (Total Value Locked) stands at around $100,000, with limited trading activity on the deployed dApps and few active decentralized exchanges. This suggests that while the potential for experimentation has expanded, broad developer migration and ecosystem-scale experimentation are still in early stages or developing slowly.
Ripple CTO David Schwartz has expressed that he believes the XRP Ledger's developer community should be larger and that the lack of programmability at layer-1 has contributed to this issue. Schwartz has also stated that if someone understands Solidity and building on the EVM platform, they are welcome to work on the XRPL EVM Sidechain. He believes that more experimentation within the XRP Ledger's ecosystem could be beneficial.
In an effort to encourage development and adoption of the XRPL EVM Sidechain, Ripple is offering grants, community funding, and driving institutional adoption. The ongoing integration with protocols like Axelar and the cross-chain XRP liquidity mechanism promise growth in developer interest and experimentation going forward.
Despite the slow adoption, the XRPL EVM sidechain has boosted the potential for developer experimentation and ecosystem growth. However, its full impact is still unfolding, as it has yet to translate into a large, active developer base or substantial dApp ecosystem.
