XRP Ledger's next phase of growth is being built by many, funded by many. Here's our part.
The XRP Ledger ecosystem is entering a new phase. Over $550 million has been invested in the XRP Ledger ecosystem since 2017, and the model is shifting: toward a distributed network of independent organizations, each supporting builders in their own way. XRPL Commons is one of those pillars.
Since 2023, we've run The Aquarium, an incubator for MVP-stage projects on the XRP Ledger, trained hundreds of developers, and launched the Glow retroactive funding program for open-source contributors. Today, we're formalizing the full structure of how we support builders across three tracks, for builders at every stage.
How the program is structured
The XRPL Commons Grants Program operates across three tracks, each targeting a distinct builder profile.
1. Glow: Funding the Protocol's Builders
Glow is our retroactive funding and bounty program for open-source contributors to the XRP Ledger. If you've built open-source tooling the ecosystem depends on, documented something that saved developers time, or significantly contributed to protocol infrastructure, Glow is for you.
The program launched in October 2025 and has since funded 11 projects, including node management tooling, transactional dashboards, post-quantum integrations, and more. We've published a 5-months in retrospective of what worked and what didn't.
Glow now runs on a quarterly cadence: open applications, no referral required. The program is 60% disbursed and runs through December 2026. → Apply to Glow
2. Building on the XRPL: Incubate, Ship, Scale
This track supports early-stage projects building on the XRP Ledger, from first idea to live product. It spans three mechanisms that work together.
Make Waves is a 90-day live challenge that kicked off on June 21st, 2026. Builders have until September 21st to ship and grow an app on the XRPL mainnet. The program rewards the projects with the most users and highest on-chain volume, with a 25,000 XRP grand prize and additional prizes for top performers. A bonus is available for the first 15 apps to reach 300 users.
The Aquarium is a 9-week incubation program launched in 2023. Initially run out of Paris, the program is transitioning to online for wider accessibility. It supports developers and founders building within the XRP Ledger ecosystem, providing hands-on mentorship, technical guidance, and direct access to the XRPL Commons team and network. For a selection of projects, this is followed by a 90-day online sprint to unlock growth. Aquarium alumni get priority access to our Early Stage Grants. → Apply to The Aquarium
Early Stage Grants provide individual small grants for projects building on XRP Ledger rails. Grants are milestone-based and cover both technical integration and growth targets. Every grantee gets hands-on support from the XRPL Commons team on architecture, technical integration, and go-to-market strategy.
What we look for: a working product live on testnet or mainnet, a clear path to generating volume on XRPL, and a team that knows what they're building. We don't fund ideas. → We'll open applications in September.
We're currently focused on EMEA, with priority access for hackathon winners and Aquarium alums.
3. Strategic Integrations: Established Projects, New Rails
The third track works with established products — proven teams with existing user bases on other chains — to integrate XRP Ledger infrastructure where it fits. This comes with hands-on support from the XRPL Commons team on technical integration and go-to-market planning.
One recent example: LOBSTR, a powerful wallet on Stellar, has integrated XRPL support in partnership with XRPL Commons, enabling its users to access the XRP Ledger directly.
We're actively identifying further partners in DeFi, agentic finance and payments. If you lead an established project and want to explore what XRPL rails could mean for your product, reach out directly.
XRPL's protocol-level capabilities are what make these integrations interesting: a native DEX with no MEV and no front-running, a Permissioned DEX for regulated and credentialed trading, compliance infrastructure built into the protocol rather than layered on top, and advanced payment primitives including escrow, cross-currency settlement, and payment channels. For products operating in regulated environments, or building around stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, this reduces engineering and legal overhead that other chains require you to build yourself.
The XRP Ledger has processed over 3.7 billion transactions since its genesis, with average daily transactions up 35.3% quarter-over-quarter to 2.48 million as network usage accelerates (Messari Q1 2026 report). Real-world asset value on XRPL has grown even faster — jumping 124.1% quarter-over-quarter to a record $2.25 billion — while the ledger settles transactions in 3-5 seconds for a fraction of a cent. With regulatory clarity now established across the US, UK, EU, and other major markets, the XRP Ledger continues to build the infrastructure for global, real-world financial applications.
A full-stack approach to ecosystem development
Funding is one part of how ecosystems grow. The other part is support to help a developer understand the protocol, a founder to ship their product, and a team to navigate a new chain's technical and market landscape.
XRPL Commons combines both. The grants program sits inside a broader infrastructure: training programs, The Aquarium incubator, builder challenges, a developer community, and a team that works alongside grantees through technical integration and go-to-market.
At a Glance
Glow: for Open-source contributors - Live — apply now
The Aquarium: For early stage founders and developers with an MVP: Applications open
Make Waves: For app builders : Live — closes Sept 21
Early Stage Grants: For MVP-stage projects: applications open in September
Strategic integrations: For established projects who want to add XRP Ledger rails : by invitation / direct outreach
XRPL Commons is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing the XRP Ledger ecosystem through education, community, and ecosystem development.
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