2026 Is the Year of XRP Ledger DEX, Says Top XRP Validator

Confidence is building across the XRP community that 2026 could mark a turning point for the XRP Ledger’s decentralized exchange (DEX).

Developers, validators, and Ripple executives are highlighting the network’s accelerating progress in DeFi. In a tweet, XRPL validator Vet stirred fresh discussion about XRP DeFi, stating, “2026 is the year of the XRP Ledger DEX.”

Key Data Points

• XRP Ledger insiders say 2026 could be the breakout year for the network’s built-in DEX
• Validators and influencers argue XRPL’s native DEX is fast, cheap, and still underestimated
• XRPL’s Layer-1 DeFi design avoids smart contract risks seen on many newer chains
• Native lending, cross-chain XRP liquidity, and exec support fuel 2026 DeFi optimism

Top XRPL Validator: “Better Know This Now”

Vet’s comment highlights a prevailing belief among core contributors that years of foundational design are aligning with market demand. “Better know this now,” he remarked.

The statement drew agreement from prominent voices across the ecosystem, supporting the idea that XRPL’s built-in DEX is still widely underestimated.

Community Voices Highlight XRPL’s Built-In Advantage

XRP influencer BankXRP described the XRPL DEX as the ledger’s most powerful feature, pointing to its speed, low cost, and long operational history. Vet responded by noting that the DEX is also his favorite XRPL feature.

Unlike many DeFi platforms that rely on external smart contracts, the XRPL DEX is sits directly in the base layer and has remained operational since 2012.

its also my favorite functionality of the XRP Ledger!

— Vet (@Vet_X0) January 14, 2026

Meanwhile, commentator Zach Rector argued that much of the crypto market is “sleeping” on the XRPL DEX. He suggested that DeFi expansion on the XRP Ledger could accelerate as new protocols come online.

XRPL as the “OG” DeFi Chain

Panos Mekras, co-founder of Anodos Finance, added historical context, noting that the XRP Ledger was the original DeFi chain. He emphasized that many features now considered standard across crypto, such as deflationary mechanics, tokenization, decentralized exchange, and payments, were pioneered on XRPL and built directly into Layer 1.

According to Mekras, XRPL’s architecture avoids many of the risks seen elsewhere, including smart contract exploits and wallet drain attacks. This positions the ledger for serious financial and institutional use.

THIS! I believe the biggest problem here is bad marketing and exposure. XRPL was the OG DeFi chain, yet it was Ethereum that made it popular and invented terms like DeFi, stablecoins, smart contracts and made all these features attractive.

So XRPL’s biggest problem has always… https://t.co/HfpkJ54xKZ

— Panos 🔼🇬🇷 (@panosmek) January 13, 2026

Ripple CTO Supports Expanding XRP DeFi

Momentum has also been reinforced at the executive level. In December 2025, Ex-Ripple CTO David Schwartz publicly supported Hex Trust’s launch of wrapped XRP (wXRP), calling the expansion of XRP into broader DeFi environments a positive development.

wXRP is fully backed 1:1 by XRP held in regulated custody and allows XRP to be used across multiple DeFi ecosystems, including Solana, Ethereum, Optimism, and HyperEVM. The asset launched with over $100 million in TVL, providing immediate liquidity and practical utility.

RippleX SVP Markus Infanger echoed this view, highlighting rising demand for regulated access to DeFi using XRP and noting that interoperability is becoming important to institutional users.

Native XRPL Lending Moves Closer to Reality

At the same time, native DeFi on XRPL is advancing internally. Recent development progress on XLS-66, a proposal for fixed-term, native lending on the XRP Ledger, has drawn strong reactions.

Zach Rector described the update as “massive for XRP” after Vet highlighted a newly merged GitHub pull request by Ripple engineer Ed Hennis. The update improves code efficiency, simplifies lending logic, and strengthens the foundation for production-ready lending.

XLS-66 aims to introduce predictable, fixed-rate lending without overcollateralization, using on-chain vaults and protocol-level enforcement rather than smart contracts.

Why 2026 Is Gaining Attention

For much of its history, the XRP Ledger focused almost entirely on payments. That strategy delivered speed, reliability, and low costs but limited DeFi experimentation.

Now, with a mature DEX, expanding cross-chain liquidity through FXRP, wXRP, and native lending nearing readiness, the XRPL is set to enter a new phase.

Ultimately, this convergence of infrastructure, liquidity, and institutional support explains why validators and developers are confident that 2026 could be a breakout year for the XRP Ledger.

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