[Digital Today reporter Yoonseo Lee] The XRP ecosystem is broadening its uses into artificial intelligence (AI) payments, institutional infrastructure and on-chain lending despite macroeconomic uncertainty.

On July 21 (local time), blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic reported that Evernodes CEO Aashish Birla (애시시 벌라) said meaningful progress has recently continued on the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

The most notable change is AI payments. Birla cited on-chain data from AI payment platform t54ai and said AI agents processed close to 1 million payments on XRPL over about a month. He explained that real-world cases are emerging in which software autonomously pays other software.

Birla also said, "This level of activity was not visible at the start of this year." It shows demand for AI-based micropayments is rapidly increasing on XRPL. He stressed that tracking protocol development and usage trends provides more information than short-term price moves.

XRP also appeared in educational materials for institutional users. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) included XRP in learning center materials covering digital asset collateral management and risk assessment. Birla added, "That does not mean DTCC has decided to accept XRP as an actual collateral asset." He said it is meaningful that XRP was cited as an example in institutional training materials, but it should not be overinterpreted as actual adoption or a support decision.

XRPL is also expanding its decentralised finance (DeFi) capabilities. Birla pointed to the entry of XLS-66, an on-chain lending proposal, into the testing stage as a third development. RippleX recently confirmed related testing had begun, which is interpreted as the next step to implement lending functions within XRPL and broaden DeFi use.

Ripple is also building institutional blockchain infrastructure. The company said it is expanding institutional-grade infrastructure through cooperation with Mastercard, JPMorgan, Ondo Finance and OKX, among others. Ripple senior vice president Jack McDonald said in an interview with Grayscale that transactions arising from cooperation with Mastercard, JPMorgan and Ondo Finance are expected to be settled through XRPL.

Use of RippleUSD (RLUSD), a stablecoin issued by Ripple, is also expanding. McDonald said OKX expanded support for RLUSD, making it usable not only for spot trading but also for derivatives and as collateral. RLUSD has grown to a market capitalisation of about $1.6 billion since it launched about 18 months ago.

Recent progress in the XRP ecosystem is focused on real-world uses and expansion of institutional infrastructure rather than short-term prices. As AI agent payments, inclusion in institutional training materials and on-chain lending tests proceed at the same time, XRPL is expanding its uses into payments, DeFi and institutional finance.

1/ Everyone seems to be waiting on the Fed these days. The builders aren’t. Three things shipped in the XRP universe over the last two weeks. None of them needed a rate cut. https://t.co/A23fLP8vMj