- Panos warned that XRPL faces stagnation, with low DEX quantity, weak TVL progress, and declining developer curiosity.
- He proposed a structured deployment of Ripple’s $1B ecosystem fund to draw builders, liquidity, and migrating dApps.
- With out deeper infrastructure upgrades and stronger incentives, XRPL dangers falling behind faster-moving chains like Solana and Avalanche.
Panos, co-founder and CEO of Anodos Finance, didn’t sugarcoat it on February 20. After greater than a decade contained in the XRP ecosystem, he stated he stays long-term bullish on XRP and the XRP Ledger — however optimism, in his view, needs to be grounded in actuality. And proper now, that actuality seems to be… sluggish.
A Loyal Group, However Slipping Momentum
XRPL nonetheless has one of the crucial loyal communities in crypto. That hasn’t modified. What has modified is the tempo of progress.
Each day decentralized trade quantity sits under $10 million. The Automated Market Maker, launched with excessive expectations two years in the past, holds lower than $50 million in complete worth locked. In a market the place competing chains routinely put up multiples of that in a single day, these numbers really feel skinny.
Panos identified one thing much more regarding: expertise outflow. Builders and builders seem like leaving sooner than they’re becoming a member of. Enterprise capital curiosity stays muted, and amongst top-tier traders and engineers, XRPL is usually seen as a low-liquidity, low-activity chain. Truthful or not, that notion issues.
In the meantime, opponents like Solana, Base, and Avalanche proceed to maneuver aggressively. They appeal to liquidity. They appeal to builders. They create noise. With out structural change, Panos warned, XRPL dangers drifting additional behind — even with XRP ETFs and incremental upgrades.
The $1 Billion Plan That May Shift the Narrative
Ripple introduced a $1 billion XRPL ecosystem fund again in 2022. Panos believes that capital, if deployed strategically, might reignite momentum — but it surely wants sharper execution and clearer path.
He outlined 4 centered grant tracks.
The Genesis Fund would distribute speedy grants between $10,000 and $50,000, serving to new builders and early-stage startups launch shortly with out suffocating friction. Quick cash, easy functions, minimal purple tape. Velocity issues.
Then comes the Scale-Up Accelerator, providing as much as $1 million for initiatives already demonstrating traction. Funding could be paired with mentorship, growth assist, and advertising and marketing amplification. Not simply checks — infrastructure across the checks.
The Exodus Migration Fund proposes allocating $100 million to draw profitable dApps from different blockchains. As an alternative of ready for natural progress, XRPL might import it. Aggressively.
Lastly, the International Publicity Fund would offer as much as $1 million per initiative aimed toward mainstream consciousness — sponsorships, occasions, campaigns. The concept is easy: if XRPL desires to be seen as a worldwide monetary community, it has to behave like one.
Liquidity, expertise, and customers. That’s the trifecta Panos retains returning to.
Infrastructure First, Hype Later
Past grants, Panos burdened infrastructure. With out robust foundations, incentive applications received’t stick.
He highlighted the necessity for seamless native deposit and withdrawal rails, deeper liquidity assist for bigger traders, and extra structured developer tooling. Sandboxes. Standardized documentation. Common bug bounties to maintain core engineers engaged as a substitute of drifting towards faster-growing ecosystems.
Group participation additionally performs a task. Governance, product testing, storytelling, organizing occasions — these aren’t facet actions, they’re progress levers. If the ecosystem desires to shift notion, it might probably’t depend on Ripple alone.
In Panos’ view, XRPL doesn’t lack potential. It lacks velocity.
The bullish case for XRP nonetheless exists. However with out decisive structural strikes — and shortly — the hole between narrative and community exercise might widen. Crypto doesn’t wait round for quiet chains to determine it out.
Disclaimer: BlockNews gives impartial reporting on crypto, blockchain, and digital finance. All content material is for informational functions solely and doesn’t represent monetary recommendation. Readers ought to do their very own analysis earlier than making funding choices. Some articles could use AI instruments to help in drafting, however every bit is reviewed and edited by our editorial crew of skilled crypto writers and analysts earlier than publication.