Ripple Hands Over Control of XRP Ledger Ecosystem: “Central Control Is Over, Now It’s the Community”

▲ XRP

Ripple has announced a full transition to a decentralized funding structure starting in 2026 to expand the XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem, significantly transferring leadership to the community and external institutions.

According to a February 26 report by cryptocurrency media outlet BeInCrypto, Ripple will shift its capital raising and technical support model for XRP Ledger developers to a more independent and decentralized framework. Since 2017, Ripple has injected more than $550 million into the ecosystem through non-dilutive grants and strategic partnerships. The year 2026 is expected to mark a major turning point as this support system becomes increasingly diversified. As the ecosystem matures, the core objective is to move away from Ripple as a single gateway and enable developers to secure funding and expand their businesses through multiple channels.

At the center of the new strategy is XAO DAO, a hybrid decentralized autonomous organization. XAO DAO is designed to allow community members to directly participate in grant allocation and resource distribution, ensuring fast and transparent funding for early-stage projects. By distributing decision-making authority across a broad range of stakeholders, Ripple aims to develop XRPL governance into a more resilient and community-driven model. This move is seen as a strategic shift away from centralized support, enhancing the overall resilience of the ecosystem.

Ripple is also significantly strengthening region-specific support and collaboration with educational institutions. The company has established XRP Asia to support developer communities across the Asia-Pacific region and will continue fostering global talent through The Aquarium, an incubator based in Paris. In addition, the University Digital Assets Accelerator (UDAX) program, which launched at UC Berkeley in fall 2025, will expand in 2026 to institutions including the University of Oxford and Brazil’s Fundação Getulio Vargas, reinforcing technical collaboration with academia.

Participation from institutional investors and venture capital firms is also expected to reach record levels. Ripple has launched the FinTech Builder Program to support the development of institutional-grade financial applications and is collaborating with leading institutions such as Pantera and Franklin Templeton to connect developers with global capital networks. An integrated funding hub set to launch soon will serve as a single gateway where developers can explore and apply for grants and accelerator programs in one place.

Despite the aggressive expansion of the ecosystem, XRP’s price has been moving sideways around $1.41, following the broader weakness in the cryptocurrency market. In the short term, macroeconomic indicators and regulatory developments are exerting greater influence on price movements. Over the mid- to long term, however, growth in actual on-chain activity and the integration of practical financial services are expected to be key variables determining XRP’s value. Ripple noted that structural price appreciation will only be possible when real-world use cases and transaction volume growth accompany funding initiatives.

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