What to know:
- Schwartz linked XRP staking discussions to asset custody and control decisions.
- The XRP Ledger burns transaction fees and lacks native staking rewards.
- Third-party platforms offer XRP yield options despite staking limitations.
Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz has renewed debate around XRP staking after comments from XRP Apex 2025 resurfaced within the XRP community. According to an X user who revisited the discussion, Schwartz responded to a question about earning yield through XRP staking with a comparison that highlighted the role of asset custody.
During the event, a community member asked whether XRP holders could eventually stake their tokens on the XRP Ledger and earn a share of transaction fees generated by the network. In response, Schwartz said users must decide whether they want to be their own bank or have someone else pay them to be their bank. While many blockchain networks allow users to earn rewards by locking their tokens, the XRP Ledger operates under a different framework.
Schwartz’s Comments Highlight Custody Trade-Offs
Schwartz’s answer appeared to focus less on rewards and more on ownership and control. Holding XRP in a personal wallet allows users to maintain direct custody of their assets. By contrast, many staking programs require participants to delegate control of their tokens to another party or protocol.
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Although Schwartz did not expand further on the analogy, community members interpreted the statement as a reminder that earning yield often comes with additional trust requirements.
Consequently, the comparison reignited conversations about whether staking aligns with the XRP Ledger’s original design principles. Interest in the topic has persisted for years as XRP holders continue to search for ways to generate passive returns without giving up control of their assets.
Why Native XRP Staking Does Not Exist Today
Unlike Ethereum and other proof-of-stake networks, the XRP Ledger does not use staking to secure its blockchain. Instead, the network relies on a consensus model that prioritizes agreement among trusted validators.
Validators do not receive token rewards for participating in consensus. Rather, organizations and community members operate validators because they support the network’s long-term health and reliability.
Additionally, native staking would require a dedicated source of rewards. At present, transaction fees on the XRP Ledger are burned instead of being distributed to participants. This mechanism helps reduce spam transactions while also contributing to XRP’s deflationary characteristics.
Even without native staking, XRP holders still have access to yield-generating opportunities through third-party platforms. Exchanges and decentralized finance protocols such as Uphold, Flare, Doppler Finance, and Axelar have introduced programs that allow users to earn returns while keeping XRP connected to broader digital asset ecosystems.
The renewed attention surrounding Schwartz’s XRP Apex 2025 remarks has brought the staking debate back into the spotlight. Although the XRP Ledger does not currently support native staking, the conversation underscores the community’s ongoing interest in balancing yield generation with the network’s long-standing emphasis on custody and decentralization.
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