Ripple CTO addresses XRP fork speculation
David Schwartz reveals the truth about possible XRP fork and risks.
- Schwartz’s view. Any public blockchain can fork if participants disagree on rules
The idea of an XRP Ledger fork has resurfaced, and Ripple’s chief technology officer David Schwartz decided to address it head-on. In a thread on X, Schwartz outlined how forks work, why they matter and whether they could ever be a real path for XRP.
No blockchain is immune to rule changes, says Schwartz. Any public layer-one network can, in theory, adopt censorship rules if its participants agree. Unlike permissioned systems, however, those who oppose such changes are free to fork and run their own version.
- Potential benefits. Schwartz views forks as fallback options, not genuine growth opportunities.
That principle, Ripple CTO argues, is what makes open blockchains fundamentally different from centralized platforms. The bigger question is whether forks are healthy or harmful.
Schwartz’s response was pragmatic: on paper, forks could benefit everyone by doubling throughput and allowing each side to focus on specific use cases. But he quickly pointed out the market reality. Capital and activity almost always consolidate to whichever side is deemed stronger, leaving the other chain sidelined.
“The market seems to want to pick the better side,” Schwartz admitted, framing forks more as fallback options than genuine opportunities.
Aave launches lending platform with Ripple's RLUSD
Ripple's stablecoin has become one of the stablecoins powering Aave's Horizon platform.
- Horizon. Aave Labs unveiled Horizon, a new institutional lending platform integrating traditional and decentralized finance.
Aave Labs, the software technology company behind the Aave protocol, recently launched a new institutional lending platform called "Horizon." It makes it possible to use tokenized products as collateral, bringing together traditional finance and decentralized finance.
- Ripple’s role. Horizon incorporates Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin as a core component.
Notably, Ripple's highly regulated RLUSD stablecoin is a crucial piece of the new platform. It is meant to enable "a new era of efficiency for on-chain finance," the company said in a statement. Reece Merrick, the managing director of Middle East and Africa at Ripple, has commented that it is "great" to see the stablecoin "play a big role" in Horizon.
Aave originally made it possible for users to supply and borrow the RLUSD stablecoin in April. There was significant demand for the token, with $76 million worth of RLUSD being supplied in just one day. In July, Jack McDonald, senior vice president of stablecoins at Ripple, stated that stablecoin growth was "exploding."
Cardano nears golden cross as price rebounds
Cardano may flip its current stalemate to trade above its monthly high of $1.01.
- Chart setup. On the 3-hour chart (TradingView), the 9-day MA is entangled with the 26-day MA
The digital currency ecosystem is gradually working to pare off its losses from the start of the week, and Cardano is in the spotlight. As of press time, Cardano's price was changing hands for $0.8683, up by 0.95% in 24 hours, per CoinMarketCap data. With the recent rebound, a golden cross is now looming on-chain.
Data from TradingView shows that the ADA/USDT move on the three-hour chart is about to flip a much-expected golden cross. With the nine-day Moving Average currently entangled with the 26-day MA, a major condition has emerged to flip the balance.
- Short-term target. ADA aims for $0.90.
With the $0.90 mark coming off as the short-term target, Cardano's price will need more buying momentum to break the golden cross dormancy. It is worth noting that the ADA price has shown different price scenarios in recent times amid a bull-bear tussle.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team