The XRP Ledger is on the brink of a major protocol upgrade, with validator voting potentially beginning in about two weeks. Vet, a dUNL validator, confirmed that six amendments—along with performance optimizations and a bundled fix—could be ready for voting if the remaining development process stays on schedule. These amendments follow months of security testing that delayed several features after earlier vulnerabilities were discovered.
The proposed amendments include Batch Transactions, which combine multiple operations into one to simplify workflows and reduce costs; Confidential Transfers, which hide transaction amounts while preserving verification tools for approved parties; Sponsored Fees and Reserves (XLS-68), allowing third parties to cover transaction fees and account reserves; Permission Delegation, enabling limited powers to be granted without full control; and Dynamic Multi-Purpose Tokens, which expand the flexibility of XRPL's token standard. A bundled bug fix is also part of the package.
Performance improvements are significant: node memory usage could drop by 10–15% under typical conditions, with best-case reductions reaching up to 40%, according to Vet. These optimizations aim to enhance node efficiency and strengthen network reliability.
Alongside the upgrade, debate has reignited over XRP Ledger reserve requirements. The current base reserve is 1 XRP, down from 1,000 XRP historically. Vet opposes further reductions, arguing that storage and memory remain limited resources, especially with rising AI-driven demand for computing infrastructure. Reserves, he stressed, help protect the network from spam and distributed denial-of-service attacks. The sponsored reserve proposal changes who pays but does not remove the underlying resource cost.
Any amendment must be included in a stable server release and secure a supermajority validator vote for at least two weeks before activation. Thus, the upcoming vote window marks the start of a governance process rather than immediate implementation.
