In this special Apex edition of The Ripple Drop, we run down the highlights of the inaugural event, then zoom in to look at Ledger City and xApps, two of the many exciting projects being built on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) that were featured at Apex.
Apex is a Hit
The first-ever Apex Developer Summit, hosted in partnership with the XRPL Foundation, brought together developers from all over the world for more than 30 different sessions exploring some of the most innovative projects built on the XRPL.
The event featured an all-star lineup, including a fireside chat between RippleX General Manager Monica Long and Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and Seven Seven Six. Other speakers included Brian Marbury of the Interledger Foundation, Wietse Wind from XRPL Labs, Coil’s Stefan Thomas, and Ripple Chief Technology Officer and XRPL co-creator David Schwartz.
Saleena Glowick of Ripple’s Events Marketing team says David Schwartz’s announcement of Federated Sidechains was one of the high points of the show for her. She explains that the toolkit enables developers to build customized blockchains using XRPL technology for Decentralized Finance (DeFI), NFTs, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and other applications.
She also says that learning about Carbonland Trust was another key Apex moment. This effort plans to issue Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) NFTs on the XRPL as part of its mission to sequester carbon and save natural forests. She believes this project and its use of the ledger as a more sustainable blockchain represents the future of carbon credits for forest conservation.
Showcasing XRPL In Ledger City
Another exciting project underway on the XRPL, and discussed at Apex, is Ledger City. Funded in part with an XRPL grant, the work is the brainchild of Dev Null Productions.
CEO Mo Morsi describes Ledger City as an immersive 3D experience where buildings will correspond to accounts. The bigger the account, the larger the building – each of which can be customized by the account owner using an NFT collectible subsystem.
Mo says the goal of the project is to introduce more people to the initiatives happening on the XRPL. From villas to towering skyscrapers, Ledger City will showcase the power and nuance of normally technical subjects in a fun and interactive way.
Mo also applauds the strong community of developers working within the XRP Ledger community. He believes this diverse set of talented individuals is motivated by the XRPL’s fast transaction times, low fees, and sustainable design that uses a tiny fraction of the energy of Proof of Work ledgers.
“We see [XRPL] as the future of distributed ledger technology, and we’re really proud to be part of the community,” says Mo.
Look for the first release of Ledger City in early 2022.
Improving User Interfaces With xApps
Koen Pass of XRPL Labs also makes an appearance to talk about his work with xApps, small web apps that leverage XUMM to deliver a better end-user experience.
Koen says there are a number of xApps live now with more in beta. He spoke about one in particular – the Decentralized Exchange App – from the stage at Apex, describing its use of decentralized data on XRPL to create an improved user interface for traders.
According to Koen, the Labs’ goal is to make it possible for anyone to build their own xApps. There are already many in development, and he’s looking forward to more independent projects by developers outside of XRP Labs.
Koen remains inspired by the number and quality of developers working within the XRPL community. He believes this high level of engagement and innovation will continue because XRPL is the most advanced blockchain today. He says key features such as its decentralized exchange and advantages like fast transaction speeds and low fees make it a powerful choice for payments.
Want to hear more? Catch the latest episode of The Ripple Drop for the entire conversation.