Cross-Chain Launch With Institutional Backing

In a landmark cross-chain move for digital assets, XRP on Solana is set to reshape how liquidity and DeFi access work across multiple networks.

XRP officially arrives in the Solana ecosystem

The Solana team has confirmed that XRP will be issued natively on the high-speed Solana blockchain through a new wrapped asset, expanding one of crypto‘s most established currencies into a fast-growing DeFi hub.

During the ongoing Solana Breakpoint global conference, the team announced that Hex Trust and LayerZero will collaborate to bridge and issue Wrapped XRP (wXRP) on Solana, unlocking new cross-chain functionality for institutional and retail users alike.

The Solana developers described XRP as a currency that has “stood the test of time,” highlighting its long-standing liquidity and role in payments. Moreover, they stressed that combining XRP’s reliability with Solana’s high-performance infrastructure creates a powerful foundation for advanced DeFi products.

From viral memes to confirmed DeFi integration

The announcement follows a week of playful engagement between Solana and the XRP community. Earlier, Solana’s official channels teased XRP holders with memes and riddles that hinted at a deeper relationship between the two ecosystems.

It began on Monday with a post featuring the community’s favorite number, “589”, which has become a long-running in-joke among XRP supporters. Shortly after, another post referenced the classic XRP meme “flipping the switch,” further fueling speculation about an upcoming integration.

Both posts drew massive attention, surpassing 6 million views within days and triggering widespread discussion. However, what started as lighthearted social media content quickly evolved into serious expectations that a technical collaboration between XRP and Solana might be on the way.

That speculation has now been confirmed, as the new wrapped asset will bring XRP directly into Solana’s DeFi stack, turning earlier hints into a concrete cross-chain initiative.

wXRP launches with $100M in liquidity and institutional custody

In its formal announcement, Hex Trust confirmed it will launch and secure the new wrapped asset wXRP, which will be fully backed 1:1 by native XRP held in institutional-grade custody under robust regulatory standards.

Moreover, the wrapped token will be built using LayerZero‘s OFT (Omnichain Fungible Token) standard. This framework is designed to make assets function seamlessly across chains, enabling XRP to plug into the expanding multichain DeFi ecosystem without fragmenting liquidity.

At launch, wXRP is expected to begin with more than $100 million in Total Value Locked (TVL). That starting scale should ensure strong day-one liquidity across Solana’s decentralized exchanges, lending markets, and liquidity protocols, giving DeFi platforms immediate depth for trading and borrowing.

Hex Trust describes wXRP as “XRP designed for DeFi” and emphasizes that users will retain 24/7 redemption rights on the XRP Ledger. That said, the structure aims to deliver a compliant and secure way to use XRP across blockchains while maintaining a direct link to the underlying asset.

Building out XRP and RLUSD liquidity across multiple chains

A central pillar of the launch strategy is the pairing of wXRP with Ripple USD (RLUSD), Ripple’s regulated stablecoin. Together, these assets are expected to support a new class of liquidity pairs and trading strategies within DeFi.

Institutions, professional market makers, and liquidity providers are likely to focus on the wXRP/RLUSD pair as a core vehicle for deep liquidity and low-slippage trading. However, retail users will also benefit by gaining access to lending markets, swaps, and yield opportunities that do not rely on unregulated third-party bridges.

Notably, the initial rollout includes Solana, Ethereum, Optimism, and HyperEVM, with additional chains planned. This multichain approach should widen the reach of XRP and RLUSD and make them key components in cross-network liquidity routing.

This move targets multiple user groups at once. Institutions and liquidity providers can deploy capital into deep, regulated markets. DeFi protocols can integrate wXRP as collateral or liquidity, while retail users and merchants gain new payment, lending, and trading options.

What wXRP means for XRP’s cross-chain future

Ripple notes that demand for using XRP in a broader range of crypto applications has never been stronger. After more than 12 years as a premier payments asset, XRP is now gaining a regulated multichain footprint through the issuance of wXRP on major networks.

With the primary_keyword xrp on solana now formally established, users and institutions can access cross-chain DeFi services while preserving the ability to redeem wXRP 1:1 for native XRP. This structure aims to balance flexibility with direct, transparent backing.

Markus Infanger, Ripple SVP, underlined that wXRP aligns closely with Ripple’s expanding stablecoin strategy. He confirmed that the combination of wXRP and RLUSD gives users a regulated way to participate in next-generation DeFi, potentially setting a template for future institutional-grade cross-chain assets.

Overall, the launch of wXRP on Solana, backed by Hex Trust and LayerZero, marks a significant step for XRP’s evolution from a payments-focused token into a fully integrated multichain DeFi instrument with deep, regulated liquidity.