Ripple Will Finally Launch Delayed Ethereum-Compatible Sidechain This Quarter

Key Takeaways

• A long-awaited EVM sidechain for XRPL is scheduled to launch this quarter.
• The sidechain has been in development since 2021.
• A public testnet version has attracted significant developer interest.

Ripple plans to launch an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible XRP Ledger (XRPL) sidechain this quarter, CTO David Schwartz announced on Wednesday, June 11.

A closed devnet version of XRPL’s EVM sidechain has been live since 2022, but it has taken three years to reach the anticipated mainnet launch.

An EVM Sidechain for XRPL

An EVM sidechain for XRPL has been in the works since 2021, when Schwartz first announced plans to bring Ethereum smart contracts to XRPL.

The project is a collaboration between Ripple and Peersyst and promises to unite two blockchain ecosystems that have traditionally been isolated from each other.

The union is significant because XRPL and Ethereum typically appeal to different types of user. One is a decentralized finance (DeFi) titan.

The other is more popular among large enterprises and financial institutions.

For Ripple, Solidity support and Ethereum’s smart contract magic could help lure DeFi developers and fintechs.

Meanwhile, utilizing a sidechain will prevent transaction bloat on the XRPL mainnet.

A Long Time Coming

The 2022 devnet launch promoted excitement that a mainnet version of the sidechain, or at least a public testnet, would soon follow. However, the next two years passed without either.

A public testnet eventually landed in April 2025.

With nearly 2.5 million addresses registered, daily transactions on the testnet frequently exceed 300,000, suggesting significant developer interest.

Projects that are actively developing on the testnet include Ethereum stalwarts like MetaMask. New XRPL sidechain deployments of various decentralized apps and services are expected to go live once the mainnet is up and running.