XRPL Wallet Infrastructure Is in Crisis– Here’s Why It Needs a Fix

• The XRPL is facing centralization risks related to wallet integration.
• Despite the introduction of fees by the dominant Xaman Wallet, no competitor stepped up.

An XRP supporter, Wrathofkahneman, on social media platform X, recently spotlighted an article about the XRPL infrastructure. The article depicted that the XRPL infrastructure is failing and needs fixing. Wrathofkahneman said the article explains how wallet integration affects the XRP markets.

Issues in XRPL Wallet Infrastructure

The article “The Embarrassing State of the XRPL Wallet Infrastructure” delved into challenges limiting the XRPL wallet. The author, Dr. Artur Kirjakukov, pointed out that XRP Ledger (XRPL) faces a critical issue: few wallet options for users. He said this situation makes the ecosystem less flexible and more centralized.

Image Source: WrathofKahneman on X

According to Artur, 85% of all Decentralized Applications (dApps) interactions on XRPL rely on just one wallet provider. This concentration creates a challenge, as the limitation of that single provider could affect the entire ecosystem.

Artur described XRPL as a Layer 1 blockchain designed for applications beyond sending XRP. Given the blockchain’s expanding functionality, Artur thinks proper wallet integration is essential. He argues that this would open portals to dApps, tools for managing tokens, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and AMM participation.

“Without options, XRPL’s promise remains unfulfilled,” says Artur.

He highlighted the features of a good wallet, which are lacking on XRPL but are available in other chains’ wallets. Some features include active social presence, dApp connections, regular updates, NFT features, visible leadership, complete token support, and AMM integration.

He further highlighted Xaman Wallet as the dominant XRPL-based wallet. According to Artur, this wallet dominates because it engages with users, releases valuable updates, maintains visibility, and provides documentation. Despite introducing fees, it remains dominant due to the lack of competitors. Artur said rivals failed to dominate when Xaman announced fees. 

Meanwhile, the Xaman Wallet continues to grow, releasing version 3.0 in September. As highlighted in our previous post, this upgrade introduces a monetization model that splits money between dApp developers. It also includes various enhancements to improve the user experience, such as adding a new xApp page and NFT offer previews.

Furthermore, Artur mentioned other wallets that have failed to integrate XRPL properly. These include Ledger, Gem Wallet, Bifrost Wallet, Metamask, and Trust Wallet. 

A solution to XRPL Wallet Integration 

Commenting further on the XRPL wallets integration cycle, Artur stated, 

“We spend resources building it, they do zero promotion, no users migrate, the integration becomes a wasted investment, we become reluctant to support new wallets, and the cycle continues.”

To fix this issue, Artur noted that wallet providers must put in the maximum effort to get better market share. He said users must also play their part by demanding better experiences from wallet providers. For developers, they should raise standards, while the XRPL Foundation prioritizes wallet diversity.

The recent disclosure comes shortly after XRPL implemented the AMMClawback amendment. As noted in our previous article, this update aims to strengthen the regulatory compliance of XRPL’s AMM pools.