Talks and Panels
At APEX Singapore, the XRPL Commons team was fully immersed in all the activity, leading and participating in a diverse range of sessions designed to empower, educate, and connect the blockchain community. There was so much going on, and we were right in the middle of it all—from team presentations to networking and supporting major community milestones.
Main Stage: XRPLF Renewed Mission and Strategy
On the main stage, David Bchiri, President of XRPL Commons, and Matt Mankins, Program Manager of XRPLF, outlined the Foundation’s renewed mission. Their talk focused on strengthening XRPL’s growth, decentralization, and community support, emphasizing collaboration and innovation as the building blocks to a robust, inclusive ecosystem.
Academic Breakfast with Dr. Vera Radeva Hadjieva
With this strong start on center stage, we turned next to collaborative opportunities in education and research. Our Academic Director, Dr. Vera Radeva Hadjieva, led a special session at our Academic Breakfast during APEX. She brought together leading minds from UC Berkeley, UCL, NUS, and State Morgan University for inspiring discussions on the latest research and upcoming educational initiatives. These conversations set the stage for collaboration and innovation across academia and industry.
At this event, we also announced DoctorBlock—a new scientific outreach competition for doctoral students and PhDs in blockchain. We’re proud to offer this opportunity and invite anyone interested to discover more about our educational programs and resources at XRPL Commons LEARN.
UBRI Highlights & Distinguished Contributors
This year, UBRI researchers from more than 40 universities gathered at the National University of Singapore to share their latest research papers. We also celebrated the following distinguished contributors:
- UBRI Educators: Professor Yuichi Ikeda, Professor Fahad Saleh
- UBRI Innovator: Professor Nicolas Christin
- UBRI Visionary: Sangita Gazi
- UBRI Legend: Lucas Rocha Afonso
- UBRI Impact: Professor Raša Karapandža & Professor Yaw Nyarko
- XRPL Contribution: Atharva Lele
- UBRI Maverick: NUS FinTech Lab
Building on these academic exchanges, we distilled the week’s major takeaways that cut across the entire community.
Key Takeaways
One of the standout insights was the growing convergence of AI and blockchain. The conference highlighted how these technologies are being applied to real-world challenges, from DeFi and interoperability to financial inclusion and sustainability. It was also exciting to witness the ongoing evolution of the XRP Ledger, especially developments around stablecoins and blockchain-for-good initiatives.
Beyond the larger themes, we wanted to create spaces for genuine connection and idea sharing among participants
Lunch & Learn: Community Speed-Dating and APEX Poster Launch
Commons also hosted a Lunch & Learn session on Wednesday, June 11th led by Zsofi Borsi, our Head of Community Engagement and Editor of the XRPL Community Mag. This informal event brought together APEX attendees for community speed-dating, giving everyone a chance to meet each Commons pillar and team leader. We also distributed our special APEX posters, that the community can also claim as a Free NFT on our page.
As conversations unfolded during our Lunch & Learn, we met innovators and partners whose perspectives shaped the week’s progress.
Who We Met
Meeting innovators from across the globe, we witnessed firsthand how APAC’s blockchain community is expanding in both scope and diversity. We connected with key figures like Krippenreiter and the xrp.cafe team, central contributors to the XRPL ecosystem. We got to chat about ways to work together and what’s coming next for the community. Alongside them, we met local and international builders, developers, and entrepreneurs who are all helping to shape the region’s blockchain future. We also caught up with representatives from Flare Network, who shared updates on their efforts to empower local participants, new staking opportunities via Uphold, and the growing EVM ecosystem now that USDC has launched on XRPL.
These interactions blended seamlessly with the community achievements throughout the week, keeping the energy and momentum alive.
Community Celebrations and Milestones
XRPL.org Preview
Together with Amarantha Kulkarni of Ripple, Matt Mankins of the new XRP Ledger Foundation previewed the upcoming revamp of the xrpl.org website with the Apex community on the main stage. The xrpl.org website has historically been the central source of truth for XRP Ledger documentation and resources. The team shared their work-in-progress taxonomy updates as well as changes to make the XRP Ledger documentation more easily consumed by artificial intelligence systems that play an increasingly important role in providing documentation for future builders in our community.
Hackathon Victory
We’re proud to announce that our interns, Amaury Mongreville and Romain Thepaut, won first place in the exploration track at the APEX hackathon—and brought home a $4,000 cash prize! Their winning project, RLTreasury, is an innovative RWA (real-world asset) solution. With RLTreasury, users can deposit their rlusd into a vault and, once the T-bills mature, receive their reward. This achievement truly showcased the talent and potential within the XRPL Commons community.
XRPFi Launch on Flare
Odelia Torteman, our Corporate Adoption Director, brought her energy and expertise to APEX as she emceed several sessions, helping to set the tone for many of the week’s highlights.
One of the highlights was the live launch of XRPFi on Flare, which Odelia also hosted. Joined by our partners EasyA, Firelight, and the XRPL Commons team, we celebrated this milestone together, enjoying rooftop views, great food, and an unforgettable atmosphere. The launch marked a significant step forward in unlocking real DeFi utility for XRP, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped make the occasion so memorable. Watch the recap here.
Other highlights were the rise of institutional DeFi, with new partnerships bringing commercial paper, lending, and compliance tools onto the blockchain, alongside the launch of OUSG—a tokenized U.S. Treasuries product by Ondo Finance. The ecosystem’s stablecoin offerings expanded dramatically, supporting assets like RLUSD, USDC, XSGD, EUROP, and USDB for cross-border liquidity. Emerging technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and cross-chain interoperability are setting new standards for privacy, trust, and seamless asset movement. APEX 2025 stands as a milestone, signaling that the future of on-chain finance is already here.
Celebrating these wins motivated us to further invest in grassroots efforts and technical excellence within the community.
Glow: Retroactive Funding for Open Source
Luc Bocahut announced the launch of Glow, our retroactive funding program for open source contributions to the XRPL. Check it out here: Glow.XRPL-commons.org. We could not be more excited about this initiative to reward and support the open source community.
Core Dev Bootcamp – Announcing Our New Training Initiative!
This month, we kicked off our very first Core Dev Bootcamp—announced at APEX, currently underway at Commons in July. Led by Program Manager Denis Angell, who has personally designed the curriculum, this intensive two-week program is tailored to train the next generation of core developers through hands-on, practical exercises. The bootcamp delves into RippleD, making it ideal for intermediate to advanced C++ developers eager to expand their expertise. Students also had a unique opportunity to engage directly with David Schwartz, who joined for an interactive Q&A session.
Throughout APEX, sharing our mission and vision with a broader audience remained a priority.
CoinDesk Interview: Fostering the XRPL Community
David Bchiri, President of XRPL Commons, also joined a live CoinDesk interview in Singapore to share our mission and reflect on important developments shaping the XRPL community. In the conversation, he explained the mission and activities of XRPL Commons and discussed current issues and trends influencing the community. You can watch the replay of his interview at minute 1:33:15 on YouTube.
With a week’s worth of progress and insights behind us, our attention shifts to the future—especially for XRPL Commons in APAC.
What’s Next for XRPL Commons in APAC
Looking ahead, XRPL Commons is focused on deepening its engagement across Asia-Pacific. We plan to expand our local presence through more meetups, workshops, and collaborations with partners in the region. Supporting new builders and projects remains a priority, with mentorship, education, and access to our global network at the core of our efforts. We are also exploring new opportunities in DeFi, interoperability, and real-world asset tokenization, including leveraging Flare’s advancements in staking and the EVM ecosystem. At the same time, we will continue to foster a vibrant XRPL community through events like the XRP Ledger Café and ongoing education initiatives
Connecting face-to-face with so many dedicated individuals at APEX Singapore 2025 was truly invaluable. The constructive dialogues and new relationships formed during the event will inspire and influence our efforts in the coming months. Moving forward, the enthusiasm and collaborative spirit that sparked those early conversations will continue to guide XRPL Commons and the broader community.
