Ripple and its executives have been actively engaged in both community outreach and significant technological developments, particularly concerning the XRP Ledger and the RLUSD stablecoin. This week, Ripple CTO David Schwartz demonstrated his strong loyalty to XRP, appearing at a café named “XRPRESSO” adorned with an XRP belt, t-shirt, and holding a Gemini-issued XRP rewards card. This public display, alongside similar actions from CEO Brad Garlinghouse, underscores a concerted effort to promote Gemini’s new XRP credit card.

The Gemini XRP rewards credit card, which offers up to 4% XRP back on purchases, has gained notable traction, climbing into the top 20 apps in the U.S. App Store, even surpassing Coinbase. This achievement comes despite a somewhat lukewarm reception from the XRP community, with some criticizing the product for not being particularly novel—as Gemini had offered XRP rewards with its ordinary cards for months—and for its limited availability only in the U.S. Both Garlinghouse and Gemini CEO Tyler Winklevoss have attempted to generate more excitement for the card, with Winklevoss humorously stating he would give Garlinghouse “the whale limit” on his card.

Beyond community engagement, Schwartz also provided a crucial update on the XRP Ledger. He revealed that the next XRPL upgrade is currently undergoing testing in near-production conditions. Schwartz hinted that a swift rollout directly to the live system could occur in the coming days if current positive results continue. This potential for an expedited launch has raised expectations within the XRP community. Schwartz also addressed the speculation surrounding an XRP Ledger fork, explaining that while any public blockchain could theoretically fork if participants disagree on rules, capital and activity tend to consolidate on the