TL;DR:
- XRP operates as the ledger’s native settlement asset, present in every transaction and partially burned as a fee.
- The autobridging function routes operations through the token to improve prices and liquidity when no direct market exists between two assets.
- The permissioned DEX and the expansion of institutional stablecoins on the ledger could generate sustained structural demand for the token over the long term.
A developer and validator of the XRP Ledger known as Vet addressed the most misunderstood utility of XRP: its native role within the protocol. The developer offered a technical walkthrough of how the token functions as liquidity infrastructure, not merely another speculative asset.
XRP: The Design Most People Overlook
Vet explained that the XRP Ledger was not conceived as a single-asset network in the style of Bitcoin. From its launch, the protocol included a native decentralized exchange, support for multiple currencies, and asset tokenization through issued assets. All of this without relying on external smart contracts. This architecture was part of the original design, not a later addition. The goal was to build a financial infrastructure layer for payments, currencies, and tokenized assets.
XRP is the central piece of that system. Unlike issued tokens, which require trust lines and carry counterparty risk, this one does not depend on any issuer. Every transaction on the ledger requires XRP for fee payment, which are burned, introducing a deflationary component by design. “You can’t do anything on the ledger without using the token,” Vet stated. “It’s at the center of everything.”
Autobridging and Institutional DeFi
One of the protocol’s most undervalued functions is autobridging, which automatically routes operations through XRP when doing so improves price or liquidity. If no direct market exists between two stablecoins, the ledger can execute the operation in two steps: first converting to the native asset and then to the destination currency. This logic operates both in the public DEX and in the new permissioned DEX.
Recent updates to the XRPL, including permissioned domains, verifiable credentials, and the institutional DEX, are aimed at bringing financial infrastructure compatible with regulatory frameworks. That aligns with Ripple‘s advances in institutional finance through Ripple Payments and the launch of Ripple USD (RLUSD). Added to these are assets such as Societe Generale Forge’s Euro Convertible and other fiat-backed tokens already active on the network.
The central argument put forward by Vet does not revolve around short-term price movements. If institutions use the permissioned DEX for currency swaps and cross-border payments, market makers will need to hold XRP to provide liquidity. Higher trading volume implies greater functional demand for the token. Unlike Ethereum, where DEX activity flows through smart contracts that extract additional fees, the ledger’s DEX is native to the protocol and no separate layer exists to capture value. For institutions seeking a neutral settlement layer, that design difference may prove decisive.
