Ripple is developing a feature that could allow users to mint asset-backed tokens directly on top of XRP Ledger, the firmâs tech chief has said.
In a company video released Thursday, Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz said Ripple is working on âexcitingâ new features to broaden the ledgerâs functionality and allow third-party users to introduce other cryptocurrencies into the XRP ecosystem.
Although Schwartz did not go into detail on what exactly the new features are, he did say they could be used for launching fixed-value tokens on XRP Ledger. âStablecoins is the obvious use case, but itâs not just stablecoins itâs essentially assets pegged to some external value,â he said.
Similar features exist on other blockchains, most notably Tether, which runs stablecoin layers on multiple networks simultaneously. But Schwartz said asset-backed tokens on XRP would have âguaranteedâ liquidity because of the ledgerâs mechanics.
Schwartz previously outlined how a fully collateralized XRP stablecoin could be liquid on his Youtube channel last October. Rather than creating separate markets for each and every digital asset, trades take place in XRP so the stablecoin remains liquid irrespective of its popularity, he explained.
This wouldnât be the first time Ripple has made forays outside of its core settlement business. The companyâs investment arm, Xpring, acquired decentralized payments platform Logos Network in September. At the time Xpringâs senior vice president told CoinDesk the acquisition would help Ripple create financial products on XRP Ledger.
During Thursdayâs video, Schwartz said Ripple had explored additional use cases before, further suggesting the ledger already has some un-utilized functionalities built into it.
In the âearly days,â Schwartz said, the engineering team âstarted to realize the properties of the algorithms weâd developed allowed us to do things, like a decentralized exchange.â
These had already been put into âa functional systemâ sometime in mid-2012 and included a feature allowing users to issue their own digital assets, he said.
UPDATE (Jan. 30, 19:10 UTC):Â This article has been updated to include the fact Schwartz had previously outlined a plan for an XRP stablecoin on his YouTube channel in October.