TL;DR
- Uphold says its Earn on XRP feature is in final development, targeting a platform that currently holds around 1.62 billion XRP.
- Because XRPL lacks native staking, Uphold must use external mechanisms such as DeFi lending or wrapped-token infrastructure to generate potential yield.
- The company is also pursuing New York’s BitLicense, while official launch timing, product structure and interest rates remain undisclosed as development and regulatory work continue.
Uphold is preparing to launch an “Earn on XRP” feature that could apply to a vast pool of XRP held on its platform, according to Chief Product Officer Paul Underwood. The company currently holds around 1.62 billion XRP, and Underwood says the long-awaited product is in the final stages of development after taking longer than expected. The striking development is that Uphold is moving closer to offering yield on an asset that does not support native staking. Underwood said more details should arrive in the coming weeks as the platform completes work on the feature.
At my talk at XRP Vegas, I shared that Uphold is working on a way to earn on XRP. We're getting closer to launch! It has taken longer than planned – but the wait is almost over. Will be sharing more in the coming weeks.
— Paul U. (@PaulWavelength) September 2, 2026
Uphold Must Solve Both Technical And Regulatory Challenges
The technical challenge comes directly from XRP Ledger’s design. Unlike networks such as Ethereum or Solana, XRPL does not provide native staking that allows holders to earn protocol rewards simply by locking tokens. Uphold therefore needs alternative mechanisms if it wants customers to earn on their XRP balances. That means any yield product must be built around external infrastructure rather than XRP’s base-layer consensus model. Possible routes referenced in the report include DeFi lending through Exactly Protocol or wrapped-token infrastructure using Flare Network, although Uphold has not yet disclosed the final structure, yield source or interest rate.
Regulation is another central part of the rollout. Underwood confirmed that Uphold is working to obtain New York’s BitLicense while developing the product, signaling that the company is preparing its XRP earn feature within U.S. regulatory constraints. The combination of product development and licensing work shows that launching yield on XRP involves more than simply adding another interface option. Uphold will need to align whatever technical model it chooses with regulatory expectations before offering the service broadly, while users are still waiting for official terms, interest rates and a confirmed launch date.
The scale of Uphold’s XRP holdings explains why the feature could matter commercially. Its roughly 1.62 billion XRP represents about 1.63% of circulating supply and places the platform among the three largest exchanges by XRP holdings, behind Upbit and Binance. XRP is also Uphold’s largest asset by market capitalization, with user balances backed one-to-one. An earn product could therefore turn one of Uphold’s biggest existing holdings into a new retention tool for long-term XRP users. The platform already offers U.S. debit cards with up to 6% cashback in XRP and recurring-purchase bonuses of up to 3%.
