Ripple Announces 'Big Plans' for XRP Ledger XRP Ledger (@XRP) $XRP is preparing for major performance improvements in 2027, Ripple engineering director Vijay Khanna (@vjkhannaripple) says. "We have big plans for performance improvements lined up for 2027," Khanna noted. The plans come amid criticism of the network's transaction speed. Ripple is also working to reduce the infrastructure demands placed on validators. The latest xrpld 3.3.0 release cut node RAM usage by 13% to 23%. Recent software updates have already reduced validator memory usage. The roadmap includes lending pools, native smart contract capabilities, repo markets and options trading. The changes aim to support larger financial transactions without overwhelming the base network.