Ripple has recommended withdrawing the XRP Ledger’s pending XChainBridge amendment after concluding that its main intended use case is already being handled by Axelar and that broader developer demand for the feature has not materialized.
The proposal, also known as XLS-38, was originally designed to create native asset bridges between the XRP Ledger and other connected networks.
However, Ripple now believes maintaining the amendment creates unnecessary complexity in the XRP Ledger codebase, particularly because the XRPL EVM Sidechain already uses Axelar for cross-chain connectivity.
If the amendment is eventually withdrawn, Ripple estimates that developers could remove more than 10,000 lines of code from xrpld, the server software powering the network.
Ripple Reconsiders XChainBridge Amendment
RippleX senior software engineer Mayukha Vadari announced the recommendation on Aug. 27.
XChainBridge remains a pending XRP Ledger amendment and has not been activated on the mainnet.
The feature was designed to allow assets such as XRP and issued tokens to move between XRPL and connected ledgers through a protocol-level bridge system.
Potential use cases included public sidechains, private networks, permissioned ledgers and experimental blockchain environments.
The system relies on independent witness servers that monitor activity on connected networks.
These witnesses submit attestations confirming that assets have been locked or destroyed on one blockchain before corresponding assets can be made available on another.
Axelar Replaced the Main Use Case for XLS-38
One of the most important reasons for developing XChainBridge was to connect the XRP Ledger mainnet with its Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible sidechain.
That requirement changed when Ripple chose Axelar to provide the bridge instead.
The XRPL EVM Sidechain launched in June 2025 with Axelar serving as its main bridge infrastructure.
Axelar uses its validator network to verify cross-chain messages and connect the EVM sidechain with XRPL and other supported blockchain networks.
According to Ripple, Axelar now addresses the EVM sidechain use case more effectively than the proposed XChainBridge implementation.
That assessment represents Ripple’s technical view rather than an independent comparison of the two systems.
Weak Developer Demand Changed Ripple’s View
Ripple initially continued supporting XLS-38 because the technology could still potentially serve developers building private sidechains or specialized networks.
These use cases might not necessarily be covered by Axelar.
However, Ripple said it has found little evidence that developers are actively building projects that require XChainBridge.
No publicly identified production deployment has demonstrated that XLS-38 is essential to its operations.
That lack of demand has changed the cost-benefit calculation.
Maintaining the unused implementation still requires developers to review, test and preserve compatibility whenever updates are made to xrpld.
Ripple argues that this creates an ongoing maintenance burden without delivering a meaningful benefit to the XRP Ledger mainnet.
Ripple Says XRPL Interoperability Will Continue
The recommendation does not mean Ripple or the broader XRP Ledger ecosystem is abandoning cross-chain interoperability.
Instead, different technologies are increasingly being used for different types of blockchain connectivity.
Ripple pointed to Axelar, Wormhole, zero-knowledge systems and layer-2 architectures as alternative approaches.
Each model comes with different assumptions involving decentralization, security, privacy and verification.
Cross-chain infrastructure also remains one of the higher-risk areas of the crypto industry.
Bridge exploits have collectively caused billions of dollars in losses over recent years, highlighting why verification design and operational security remain critical considerations when choosing interoperability infrastructure.
Ripple Cannot Withdraw the Amendment Alone
Ripple’s recommendation does not automatically remove XChainBridge from the XRP Ledger.
The amendment remains part of the XRPL validator voting process.
Ripple controls only one validator vote among the independent participants that help govern amendment activation.
The XRPL amendment system typically requires support from more than 80% of trusted validators for two continuous weeks before an amendment can activate.
With 35 validators in the current default configuration, at least 29 affirmative votes would exceed that threshold.
XChainBridge currently carries a default “no” vote.
Ripple’s recommendation therefore does not force validators to reject the proposal.
Individual validators retain control over which amendments they support.
XRPL Governance Keeps Validator Decisions Independent
This process highlights an important aspect of XRP Ledger governance.
Ripple can recommend amendments, support proposals or suggest that features be withdrawn, but it cannot independently activate or remove changes from the network.
Validators ultimately determine whether an amendment receives enough support.
The same principle applies to other XRP Ledger proposals.
Ripple may publicly support a feature, but that support alone does not guarantee activation.
Any amendment must still pass the network’s established voting threshold.
Withdrawal Would Happen in Several Stages
Ripple has proposed a staged process for removing XChainBridge rather than deleting the implementation immediately.
The first step would likely involve a pull request marking XChainBridge as obsolete inside the xrpld codebase.
Servers upgrading to that software version would then automatically vote against activating the amendment.
As more validators install the updated software, support for XChainBridge would gradually decline.
Once active validators recognize the amendment as obsolete, developers could remove the underlying implementation in a later software release.
The related fixXChainRewardRounding code could also be removed as part of the process.
More Than 10,000 Lines of Code Could Be Removed
One of the strongest technical arguments for withdrawing the amendment is codebase simplification.
Ripple estimates that eliminating XChainBridge could remove more than 10,000 lines from xrpld.
Reducing unused code can provide several benefits.
It may simplify maintenance, reduce the amount of software that needs to be reviewed and tested, and lower the possibility of bugs developing in functionality that is rarely or never used.
However, no code has been removed so far.
The amendment remains pending while Ripple gathers community feedback and validators continue operating under the existing process.
No Final Withdrawal Date Has Been Announced
Ripple has not announced a firm timeline for removing XChainBridge.
There is currently no confirmed pull-request deadline, software version or final removal date.
The timing will depend on community feedback, software review and validator adoption of any future release marking the amendment as obsolete.
That means XChainBridge will remain part of the XRPL codebase for the time being.
Developers Can Still Present XLS-38 Use Cases
Ripple has also left the door open for developers that are actively using or planning to use XLS-38.
The company has asked developers and organizations with concrete XChainBridge projects to present their use cases.
If a credible active deployment demonstrates that the amendment is still necessary, Ripple could reconsider its recommendation before the withdrawal process advances.
This gives the developer community an opportunity to show whether there is meaningful demand that Ripple may not currently be aware of.
What the XChainBridge Withdrawal Means for XRPL
Ripple’s recommendation reflects a broader shift toward simplifying the XRP Ledger while relying on external interoperability infrastructure where it already meets network requirements.
The core reason is straightforward: XChainBridge’s biggest original use case has been replaced by Axelar, while demand for other applications has remained limited.
Continuing to maintain more than 10,000 lines of unused code could create unnecessary development overhead.
At the same time, the amendment cannot simply be removed by Ripple.
Validators must continue making independent decisions, and any eventual withdrawal would occur through software updates and the broader XRPL governance process.
For now, XChainBridge remains pending.
The next step will depend on whether developers present compelling use cases for XLS-38 or whether the XRPL community moves forward with Ripple’s recommendation to mark the amendment obsolete and eventually remove it from the codebase.
