Ripple's CTO: #XRP Ledger — completely decentralized

➡️ David Schwartz stated in an interview with Decrypt that Ripple does not control the XRPL and has no 'secret access' to the network.

'We have no interest in managing the network. We simply contribute to the ecosystem,' he emphasized.

🔺 What's important:

🔵 There are currently 187 validators in the XRPL, Ripple controls only one

🔵 Changes require 80% consensus of the network

🔵 Ripple physically cannot block transactions or change rules

The network is secured by the UNL mechanism — lists of trusted nodes that each validator compiles independently.

💬 Schwartz also commented on criticism regarding Ripple's influence on the market:

'We do manage escrow accounts with XRP, but this affects liquidity, not the blockchain itself.'

⚙️ In June, Ripple announced updates to the XRPL — smart contracts and credit protocols inspired by Ethereum's functionality.