XRP Expands DeFi Reach with Solana Launch

On Friday, wrapped XRP was successfully launched on Solana, courtesy of custodian Hex Trust and bridging protocol LayerZero, thereby integrating the token into Solana's DeFi ecosystem for the first time. Holders of XRP can now leverage the wrapped asset on various platforms, including Jupiter, Phantom, Titan Exchange, and Meteora, all without having to sell their underlying XRP. According to Hex Trust, each wrapped XRP is fully backed by native XRP stored in segregated accounts and can be redeemed at any time. This Solana launch is part of a larger rollout strategy announced by Hex Trust in December 2025, which also includes deployments on Ethereum, Optimism, and HyperEVM. This move aligns with a growing trend in 2025 and 2026, where tokens originally launched on one chain are being bridged to others to access yield and liquidity not available at launch. Historically, XRP has been used as a payment token settled directly on the XRP Ledger, whereas Solana has focused on building a high-throughput smart contract platform that supports DeFi and memecoin activities. The underlying infrastructure supporting this initiative is LayerZero, a cross-chain messaging protocol that has gained significant bridge volume following the exploitation of Wormhole, Nomad, and Ronin. The success of XRP in generating meaningful DeFi volume on Solana remains to be seen, with the wrapped asset now live and awaiting adoption by holders.