Ripple’s recent move to introduce smart contracts on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has sparked discussions within the community. Ripple CTO David Schwartz has stepped in to address concerns and clarify the company’s intentions.
Ripple announced its plans to enhance the XRPL by integrating smart contract functionality through two main approaches. The first approach involves developing an EVM Sidechain in collaboration with Peersyst. Ripple’s second option seeks community support for enabling smart contracts directly on the XRPL Mainnet through an XLS proposal.
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However, Ripple’s announcement did not mention Hooks, a protocol created by XRPL Labs specifically for native smart contracts on the Mainnet. XRPL Labs has long advocated for Hooks, but Schwartz has previously expressed concerns about its security. The omission of Hooks in Ripple’s announcement raised concerns from Wietse Wind, who believes Hooks deserves consideration given its success on Xahau, a new chain.
David Schwartz’s Response
Amid the backlash, David Schwartz took to X to clarify Ripple’s position. He emphasized that Ripple does not intend, nor does it have the authority, to unilaterally alter the XRPL. Schwartz explained that the announcement was meant to express Ripple’s recognition of the importance of bringing programmability to the XRPL Mainnet. He stressed that Ripple remains committed to transparency and community involvement and that the announcement was just the beginning of a process involving community feedback and design reviews.
Schwartz initially did not see a way to implement smart contracts on the Mainnet without significantly altering the XRPL. However, after discussions with community members, including those at Orchestra Finance, he realized that introducing programmability might be possible while addressing challenges like ledger bloat, reduced transaction speed, and security risks. He acknowledged that some in the community had reached this conclusion earlier and emphasized that Ripple would take a cautious, step-by-step approach to minimize risks.
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Schwartz stressed the importance of the XRP community in decision-making, reassuring them that Ripple aims to collaborate, not impose changes. He also noted that the announcement’s timing coincided with upcoming XRP community events in Korea and Japan, which he sees as key opportunities for open discussions on XRPL’s future programmability.
Concerns About Decentralization
In response to Schwartz’s clarifications, some community members raised concerns about XRPL’s decentralization. MetaManX, asked whether smart contracts could be added to the XRPL without its approval, perhaps bypassing Ripple should be possible if it is truly decentralized.
At the time of reporting, Schwartz has not responded to this question, but he has consistently maintained that Ripple is just another builder on the XRPL and does not unilaterally impose or block changes to the network.
