Ripple is accelerating its push into decentralized finance by combining three major initiatives on the XRP Ledger (XRPL): the forthcoming launch of an Ethereum-compatible sidechain, the addition of tokenized U.S. Treasuries from Ondo Finance, and the integration of Circle’s USDC stablecoin. Speaking at the Apex 2025 developer conference, Ripple said the XRPL’s Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) sidechain will go live in the second quarter of 2025. The upgrade will let Ethereum-based decentralized applications and smart contracts operate natively on XRPL, broadening the ledger’s interoperability and developer base. Ondo Finance has meanwhile deployed its flagship fund, Ondo Short-Term U.S. Government Treasuries (OUSG), on XRPL. Qualified purchasers can now mint and redeem OUSG around the clock using Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, with roughly $30 million already committed. The expansion is part of Ondo’s drive to bring more real-world assets on-chain. Circle has also made USDC available on XRPL, naming the network the 22nd blockchain to host the dollar-backed token. “We are excited to launch USDC on Ripple’s XRP Ledger,” Circle co-founder Jeremy Allaire said, adding that the move should support enterprise payments and DeFi liquidity. The roll-out comes days after Circle introduced native USDC and its CCTP V2 protocol to Sam Altman’s World Chain, underscoring the stablecoin issuer’s broader multichain strategy.