Ripple launched a permissioned decentralized exchange (DEX) on XRP Ledger in XLS-81. The functionality supports domains to manage access to liquidity pools, limiting trading among approved participants. Institutional users who desire regulatory compliance in decentralized finance find utility in the functionality.
SBI Holdings Chief Executive Yoshitaka Kitao has welcomed the innovation, stating how it helped attract institutions and even banks. The action is a testament to Ripple’s focus to unveil DeFi capability in concert with compliance measures established by international regulators.
CME Group Reports XRP Futures Boom
CME Group listed Micro-XRP and XRP futures on May 19. The contracts had an opening-day volume high of $19.3 million. According to a recent statement, Notional volume has grown to $542 million for the month, about half coming from outside North America. Open interest stands at $70.5 million.
This performance reflects growing institutional demand for XRP. It also enables price discovery, the precursor to an XRP spot ETF. There has been high demand that has been present in the wake of prior success with Bitcoin and Ethereum futures.
Ripple CTO Reveals XRPL Co-founder’s Contribution
Ripple CTO David Schwartz has affirmed that co-founder of Ripple Arthur Britto owns some of the longest XRP Ledger accounts. They are among the most significant wallets ever built on the network. Although not currently in use, the accounts do raise questions regarding token long-term holding and distribution.
Schwartz guaranteed that the accounts are not active and never find their way into the Ripple reserves. The group shared this publicly in an attempt to bring transparency because the XRP community still grumbles about token centralization and decentralization.
Ripple Legal Team Prepares for Mortgage Integration
Ripple’s general counsel Stuart Alderoty addressed the use of crypto in mortgages in a reply to Bill Pulte, the US director of Federal Housing. Blockchain, according to the posts, will make processing of mortgages automatic, reduce expenses, and improve transparency. XRP’s high-settlement and low-cost design, he further stated, made it well-placed to be used when it comes to mortgages.
The comments are made against the backdrop of growing demand for stablecoin and crypto asset-backed residential real estate transactions. Ripple plans to transform XRP Ledger into a regulated financial services platform, covering residential mortgages.
U.S. Strategy Fuels Decentralization Debate
A new US cryptocurrency strategy report recognized XRP Ledger’s decentralized design. It was impressed with XRPL’s open-source governance and diverse validator. The seal of approval silences centralization critics who’ve so repeatedly harassed Ripple and its dominance of XRP.
The community sees this as an endorsement of XRP’s battle-tested-and-proven case for decentralization. As institution-grade infrastructure grows, the ledger now supports both permissioned and public apps.
XRP Price Under Pressure Despite Forward Progress
Despite all this, XRP price remains volatile and currently trades at $2.18. Authors attribute a critical shortage of supply for on-chain activity slowing down while exchange balances keep depleting. This disconnect has fueled speculation of near-term price action.
Market players are watching closely as technicals indicate close consolidation. Any increase in institutional buying, especially with the inclusion of futures, can reverse momentum within upcoming weeks.
Ripple’s launch of a permissioned DEX, the burst of CME XRP futures, and changing legal and governance narratives are all positive pluses for the XRP network. All collectively show how XRP Ledger is transforming itself into an institution-grade platform without losing its decentralized roots.
