On The Chain: "BIGGEST XRP NEWS Since 2012? | Staking | Flare Deflationary"
Podcast: On The Chain – Blockchain & Cryptocurrency News + Opinion
Hosts: Jeff & Chip
Date: November 20, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode centers on what could be a historic turning point in the XRP and XRPL ecosystem: Ripple leadership openly discussing potential native on-ledger XRP staking—something unprecedented since the network’s 2012 launch. Additional big news includes Flare Network’s move towards a deflationary model, the launch of new XRP ETFs, and wider evolutions in DeFi and tokenization. The hosts unpack the implications, industry reactions, and fundamental questions this could raise for governance, yield, and DeFi within the XRP universe. True to On The Chain’s style, the episode blends serious analysis, community interaction, and reflective banter.
🔑 Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Native XRP Staking: The Biggest Change Since Launch?
- Ripple engineers, including newly hired Head of Engineering Jao Akinele and CTO David Schwartz, are publicly exploring native staking on XRPL.
- The dialogue marks a major shift as XRPL was conceived without PoS-style staking, and so far, network incentives and consensus have been handled differently than typical PoS chains.
Chip [04:46]:
“With the first XRP spot ETF live from Canary... the ecosystem is stepping into a new phase. Especially if institutions start adopting products like tokenized treasuries and money market funds... Me and David Schwartz [were] thinking, what if we supported native staking on the XRPL one day?”
- Staking would require:
- A source of staking rewards (“Where is the yield coming from? That’s gotta come from somewhere,” [06:54])
- A fair way to distribute those rewards
- Challenges:
- XRPL validators already have an equal vote, transaction fees are anti-spam (not rewards), and the network is not PoS.
- Introduction of staking must not compromise XRPL’s trust, security, or core design ethos.
- Community reactions highlight hopes for increased adoption, liquidity, and even possible “supply shock” with increased token lock-up (as is suspected with ETFs in other blockchains).
2. Flare Goes Deflationary: Tokenomics Shakeup
- Hugo Filion, CEO of Flare, announced efforts to make the FLR token non-inflationary or deflationary through a combination of buy-and-burn mechanisms sourced from core protocol revenues.
Chip [25:43]:
“If that wasn’t big enough, Flare’s Hugo Filion said they’re working on making Flare non inflationary—deflationary. That’s a tokenomics earthquake.”
- Details of Flare’s proposed improvement:
- Revenue streams used to fund buy-and-burn from protocol usage (fees, yield, DeFi insurance premiums).
- Aim: Offset inflation after January 2026, creating direct deflationary pressure.
Hugo Filion (via Chip paraphrasing) [27:30]:
“My goal, if it can be reached, is for Flare to become non inflationary—or better yet, deflationary.”
3. XRP ETF Launches and Market Impact
- Multiple XRP spot ETFs are going live, including Bitwise’s XRP ETP on the New York Stock Exchange (Ticker: XRP), following earlier launches from Canary and European markets (GXRP).
- Institutions are moving in, and the hosts speculate about possible supply shocks if ETF buying and staking lock up significant portions of the circulating supply.
[32:10] Jeff:
“Bitwise Asset Management, over $15 billion in client assets, announces the launch of Bitwise XRP ETF… starts trading November 20th, ticker XRP.”
4. XRPL Staking: Possibilities, Governance, and Practicalities
- Ripple engineers are using public “thought experiments” to workshop what staking could look like, without presenting a firm proposal.
- Technical voices from the community (like “Vet” and Jao Akinele) debate:
- What does staking accomplish for a non-PoS chain?
- Would it be used for rewards only, or risk centralization?
- Would transaction fees or other sources fund rewards?
- Conversation reflects Ripple’s more open, mature, and community-driven engagement with ecosystem design.
Jao Akinele (via Chip, paraphrased) [19:14]:
“Everything I’m seeing is purely a thought experiment… Sometimes walking through the ‘what if’ helps us highlight why the network was designed the way it is.”
5. DeFi, Tokenization, and Institutional Adoption
- Ripple leadership (Brad Garlinghouse, David Schwartz) engage in the DeFi discussion, exploring native programmability, new applications, and governance models.
- The hosts underscore that XRPL’s evolution is now being guided by real-world challenges and mainstream adoption, moving beyond speculative tech demos (“growth because of mainstream utility... problems that have to be solved, and we’re starting to see solutions,” [09:44]).
- Enhanced cross-chain interoperability exemplified by Circle’s X Reserve—supporting seamless transfer between USDC-backed stablecoins on multiple blockchains.
6. Community Culture, Security, and “Battle for Banking”
- The hosts reflect on community resilience, the impact of bad actors and scams, and the ongoing “battle” between central banks, traditional banks, and crypto.
- The program closes with trademark banter and lighthearted moments (air travel nostalgia, NFT giveaways, and “Badass Yeti” lore).
🗨️ Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On the magnitude of staking discussion:
“...If this happens, it could be the biggest change since the XRPL launched in 2012.”
– Jeff [00:02]
On Ripple’s public conversation:
“We wouldn’t have necessarily seen this not that long ago... Now we’re starting to see this change of thought process in terms of engagement with the bigger audience.”
– Jeff [09:44]
On staking requirements:
“You gotta have a source for where the staking rewards are coming from, and then you need a way to distribute them fairly.”
– Chip [06:54]
On Flare going deflationary:
“My goal, if it can be reached, is for Flare to become non inflationary or better yet deflationary.”
– Hugo Filion (read by Chip) [27:30]
On mainstream adoption:
“The gap of reality to technology is shrinking at such a rapid pace.”
– Jeff [09:44]
On XRPL community ethos:
“What makes XRP so different is that you’ve got people HODLing through the SEC vs Ripple... but they’re not doing anything with it... If you can put it to work for yourself on the XRPL, I think that’d be huge.”
– Chip [13:45]
⏰ Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:02–01:07 – Opening: Staking as seminal change, Flare deflationary news
- 04:46–08:00 – Ripple leadership’s public dialogue on staking, implications for holders & DeFi
- 09:44–13:45 – Maturity of community discussion, shift to large-scale, mainstream utility
- 17:54–21:30 – Brad Garlinghouse & David Schwartz’s comments, test-ballooning new DeFi primitives
- 25:43–27:30 – Flare Improvement Proposal: Buy & burn, deflationary model, Hugo Filion’s reply
- 32:00–33:47 – Bitwise XRP ETF details, institutional adoption
- 36:44–37:45 – Circle X Reserve, stablecoin interoperability
- 41:07, 78:13, 85:00 – "Badass Yetis" NFT lore, lighthearted banter, community giveaways
🎧 For Listeners New and Veteran
- The episode is a must-listen (or read!) for anyone following XRP, XRPL, or broader crypto tokenomics, especially concerning staking debates and protocol evolution.
- It captures a clear pivot point in the network’s history—leadership considering system-level changes, community feedback, and the intersection of DeFi, institutional capital, and security.
- The balance of insightful technical detail, strategic speculation, and community flavor exemplifies On The Chain’s role as both commentator and facilitator for ongoing change in digital assets.
⚡️Further Resources
This summary skips preamble, giveaways, music interludes, sponsor content, and post-show wind-down to deliver the key XRP and crypto developments from the episode, preserving the hosts’ perspectives and style.