The XRP, an emblematic crypto of Ripple, is the subject of frontal attacks on its structure and its philosophy. An expert blockchain calls into question his alleged decentralization, and accuses the authoritarian drift protocol. This criticism relaunches a central debate in industry: what is a really decentralized blockchain? Ripple, for his part, defends his conception, and claims resilience and efficiency. While the pressure rises, the XRP is at the heart of an ideological confrontation which could redefine the criteria of acceptability in the universe of cryptos.
Architecture accused of centralization
Researcher Justin Bons, founder of Cyber Capital, published a series of virulent criticisms against the XRP Ledger, which he describes as ” centralized ».
According to him, the Ripple network deviates from the standards of decentralization and is based on a list of nodes approved in advance (UNL), a method which, in his eyes, ” is in no way comparable to a truly distributed consensus system. »»
He affirm Also that the absence of incentive mechanisms for validators makes the protocol not very attractive and vulnerable, which distances the XRP from the proven safety models used by the main public blockchains.
These technical accusations revolve around several key points that good details in its publications:
- A use of a list of unique nodes (UNL): only validators who appear on this list can participate in the validation of the blocks, which limits the distribution of power;
- The absence of awards for validators: unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, the protocol does not offer native remuneration, which thus reduces the incentives to contribute to network security;
- A risk of control by Ripple Labs: the current structure would allow, according to vouchers, a disproportionate influence of Ripple on the network;
- Proximity to proof of authority: Good considers that the mechanism used by the XRP ” is more like a centralized system than a decentralized blockchain ».
Faced with these criticisms, the debate on the real nature of XRP is intensifying, which pushes the community to reconsider the way in which decentralization is defined and perceived in blockchain infrastructure called ” corporate ».
Extended criticism and upcoming innovation challenges
This questioning of the usefulness and structure of the XRP goes beyond technical aspects. The famous investor Jason Calacanis went further and described the XRP as a ” centralized controlled value ».
In addition, he expresses his doubts about the possibility of one day seeing an ETF based on XRP approved by American regulators. “” An ETF XRP would make the dry mad “, He quipped. He suggested that the XRP structure poses fundamental problems of compliance with stock market standards.
On another front, the main developer of the XRP LEDGER, Wietse Wind, acknowledged that the network accused a certain delay on its direct competitors, in particular Ethereum, in terms of programming and deployment of smart contracts.
It relies on the introduction of features called ” Hooks », Currently in development, to provide the XRP LEDGER with capacities similar to those of EVM compatible blockchains. This innovation could allow the XRP to fill part of its technological delay and strengthen its attractiveness with developers.
These statements raise contradictory perspectives. On the one hand, growing community pressure for better transparency and clearer alignment with the standards of decentralized finance. On the other hand, tangible efforts on the part of Ripple and its collaborators to develop the XRP Ledger to a more flexible and open environment. It remains to be seen whether these adjustments will be enough to convince skeptics and ensure that XRP is a lasting place among the large user cryptos. The debate is now launched, and its benefits could redraw the landscape of corporate blockchain infrastructure.
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