The first XRP Ledger (XRPL) Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible sidechain has gone live on the parallel test network, XRPL Devnet, Ripple developers announced on Monday. 

See related article: Ripple slams SEC’s opposition to brief motions in XRP lawsuit

Fast facts

• An EVM-compatible side chain brings Ethereum smart contracts to the XRP ecosystem.
• It also lowers barriers to entry for cross-chain application developments, according to Ripple Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz.
• In the next phase of testing, planned for early 2023, developers intend to make the EVM sidechain and bridge permissionless. 

• The final phase is the launch of a permissionless EVM sidechain and bridge on the XRPL mainnet.

• XRP was trading at US$0.47 at 7:30 p.m. in Hong Kong, according to data from CoinGecko.

See related article: SEC, Ripple seek summary judgment in attempt to speed up XRP lawsuit