• Ripple Developers launched the memetastic challenge to end 2023 in grand style.
• The challenge complements the growth of the XRP Ledger and broader XRP ecosystem in 2023.

As the curtains closed on 2023,  Ripple Labs Inc. and its developer community, RippleX have initiated the #builtonXRPL Challenge, a memetastic endeavor that invites developers and community members to showcase their creativity and humor.

Ripple’s Memetastic Challenge

The #builtonXRPL Challenge encourages participants to create memes incorporating the #builtonXRPL badge, with a chance to win an exciting trip to the Apex Developers Summit. RippleX took to the X platform to announce the challenge, urging developers to submit their best memes before the deadline.

The challenge not only provides a lighthearted way to cap off the year but also emphasizes the collaborative and creative spirit that defines the Ripple ecosystem. As the memes continue to flood social media feeds, it’s evident that Ripple’s end-of-year frenzy is not just a celebration of technology but a celebration of the people behind it.

This follows closely on the heels of an announcement calling on the XRP community to register for an upcoming airdrop involving Evernode, a layer-two smart contract platform on the Xahau Network. With registrations for EVERS already closed, the actual airdrops will be initiated by mid-January

XRPL account holders with XRP holdings of up to 50 million are eligible for rewards, excluding large whale investors such as Ripple’s escrow account. The Evernode airdrop aims to engage the XRP community in building a sustainable smart contract ecosystem on the Xahau network, supporting hooks similar to other leading blockchains.

XRP Ledger’s Record-Breaking Year-End

Notably, the year 2023 ended with an impressive record for the XRP Ledger, as reported by XRPScan. On December 30, 2023, the XRP Ledger processed an all-time high of 6.8 million transactions per day, surpassing the previous record set in November 2021. This increased transaction throughput highlights the growing adoption and utility of the XRP Ledger.

In a strategic move to help advance the blockchain, Band Protocol, a prominent data oracle platform, announced its integration with the XRP Ledger. This integration positions Band Protocol as the primary oracle provider for XRPL’s core network and its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) sidechain. The partnership promises increased data reliability and infrastructure hardening, particularly beneficial for the XRPL community and its endeavors in Decentralized Finance (DeFi).

Furthermore,  in November, the XRP Ledger launched the fixNFTokenRemint upgrade, a remarkable enhancement to Non-Fungible Token (NFT) functionality. This upgrade addresses challenges related to NFT sequence numbers and account deletion, fortifying the security and efficiency of the XRPL’s NFT ecosystem. The unique sequence numbers assigned to each NFT prevent collision scenarios, ensuring the integrity and reliability of the ledger’s NFT infrastructure.

Overall, the year 2023 saw huge developments for the XRP Ledger, laying the groundwork for 2024 with a bigger potential. According to Ripple CTO Joel Schwartz’s report, the Cross-Chain Bridge Amendment for XRP Ledger will go to vote next year. 

This modification introduces the XRP Ledger EVM-compatible sidechain, a joint effort between Ripple and Peersyst that will serve as a link between the XRP Ledger and the Ethereum ecosystem.