J. Ayo Akinyele, Head of Engineering at RippleX, has initiated a significant discussion about the potential for native staking on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). The move is driven by Ripple’s goal to expand XRPL beyond its payment-focused use case and boost its relatively modest presence in Decentralized Finance (DeFi).

Key Points & Challenges:
1. Current Consensus: XRPL uses a Proof of Association consensus model where transaction fees are burned, not redistributed, making the integration of staking complex.
2. Implementation Difficulty: Akinyele stressed that adding staking would require fundamentally rethinking network value circulation while maintaining decentralization.

David Schwartz, an original XRPL architect, highlighted two experimental ideas being discussed:
1. Two-Layer Consensus: An inner group of 16 staked validators would be selected by an outer layer to advance the ledger.
2. ZK-Proofs for Smart Contracts: The current consensus model remains, but transaction fees would fund Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs to confirm the correct execution of smart contracts.

Schwartz views both ideas as technically impressive but not realistically viable “any time soon.”

The introduction of native staking could significantly attract new capital from investors and accelerate XRPL’s growth and utility within the DeFi ecosystem.