Ripple moves to shrink XRP Ledger attack surface as AI audit tests lending push

Ripple is moving to shrink the XRP Ledger’s (XRPL) attack surface as it prepares to expand native lending.

The company has recommended removing more than 10,000 lines of unused XChainBridge code while Lending Protocol V1.1 undergoes an AI-only security review through Sherlock’s Audit Engine.

The parallel efforts come as crypto platforms face renewed pressure to strengthen their defenses. More than $1.31 billion was lost across 344 security incidents in the first half of 2026, with code vulnerabilities remaining the industry’s most common attack category.

Axelar leaves Ripple with 10,000 lines it no longer wants

The original case for keeping XChainBridge (XLS-38) weakened after Ripple turned to Axelar for the XRPL EVM Sidechain and broader demand for the native bridge failed to materialize.

XLS-38 was designed to let assets move between XRPL and connected sidechains through witness servers that observe transactions and attest to activity across networks. The architecture was intended to support private, permissioned, and experimental sidechains, while also providing a bridge between XRPL mainnet and the EVM Sidechain.

Ripple ultimately chose Axelar for the EVM Sidechain after evaluating security, user experience, decentralization, and the operational demands of maintaining a bridge.