XRP Ledger opens up global public nodes through Ankr

The XRP Ledger Foundation (@XRPLF) has partnered with @ankr to deploy a network of globally distributed public nodes on the XRP Ledger ($XRP), spanning locations from New York to Singapore. The rollout gives developers free JSON-RPC access to both the XRPL mainnet and testnet without needing to run or maintain their own infrastructure.

Lowering the Barrier for Developers

Running an independent node requires hardware, storage, maintenance, and continuous monitoring. Shared public endpoints remove that overhead, making it faster and cheaper for wallets, exchanges, and application developers to build and test on the network. The partnership comes just days before the anticipated xrpld v3.3.0 mainnet upgrade, marking a deliberate effort to expand the developer base ahead of a significant protocol release.

Five Amendments Target Institutional Use in v3.3.0

RippleX Head of Product Jazzi Cooper outlined five proposed amendments set to accompany the v3.3.0 software release. The headline feature, Confidential MPT, would bring native privacy to Multi-Purpose Tokens using elliptic-curve encryption and zero-knowledge proofs, concealing token balances and transfer amounts while still allowing access for designated auditors or regulators. Cooper has argued that privacy is often a prerequisite for financial institutions considering public blockchain infrastructure.

A second amendment, Batch, would allow up to eight transactions across multiple accounts to settle atomically, either all succeeding or all failing together. That design directly supports delivery-versus-payment and other institutional settlement workflows. A third proposal, Permission Delegation, would let institutions grant narrowly scoped transaction authority without surrendering control of their primary signing keys.

Shipping the v3.3.0 software will not automatically activate any of these changes. Each amendment requires sustained support from at least 80% of trusted validators over two consecutive weeks before it can take effect. Notably, both Batch and Permission Delegation previously failed validator voting after separate security issues were identified. Both have since been patched and resubmitted under new amendment IDs, though validators may apply additional scrutiny during the upcoming approval process.

$XRP showed little immediate price reaction to the Ankr announcement, trading near $1.08 with volume up roughly 46% on the day, according to crypto.news. Market attention will likely shift to validator signaling once the v3.3.0 release is live.

Sources:
crypto.news: XRP Ledger adds Ankr nodes ahead of v3.3.0
crypto.news: XRP Ledger v3.3.0 brings five institutional features
Crypto Briefing: XRP Ledger 3.3.0 to launch next week with five amendments