XRP Ledger validator Vet has made a case for XRP as a future store of value, pointing to network features that allow users to hold and transfer assets without relying on a financial custodian.
In a post on X, Vet argued that the XRP Ledger’s design reflects the “be your own bank” philosophy. He connected that approach to geopolitical uncertainty, expanding digitization and an internet increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
His argument has a technical foundation: XRP has no issuer-controlled freeze function, its supply cannot expand through ordinary protocol operation, and users can manage their own transaction authorization. Those properties support the case for financial autonomy, although future store-of-value performance remains a separate question.
XRP Cannot Be Frozen Through an Issuer’s Controls
One of the strongest facts supporting Vet’s position is the distinction between XRP and assets issued on its network.
XRPL allows token issuers to freeze certain issued balances. Native XRP falls outside those controls. The network’s documentation explicitly distinguishes XRP from tokens whose issuers retain freezing powers.
This matters because holding native XRP directly does not require a stablecoin issuer to honor a redemption request or maintain access to a token balance.
The distinction also underpins Vet’s earlier explanation of why RLUSD is optional while XRP remains essential to XRPL.
Custody remains decisive, however. An exchange can restrict access to XRP held on a customer’s behalf. XRP’s lack of an issuer freeze function therefore has different practical implications for someone controlling their own wallet than for someone holding an exchange balance.
A Fixed Supply With Transaction Fees Removed Permanently
XRP’s supply structure provides another foundation for the digital-gold comparison.
The protocol specifies a maximum of 100 billion XRP and does not provide a mechanism for creating additional native units. Unlike issued tokens, XRP has no issuing account that can expand its supply.
Transaction fees also remove XRP permanently. The standard minimum fee is 10 drops, equivalent to 0.00001 XRP, although costs can rise with network load. These fees are destroyed rather than distributed to validators. Their primary purpose is to discourage spam and network abuse.
This establishes supply scarcity, but scarcity alone does not establish an asset’s future price. Demand and holders’ willingness to sell remain important.
Self-Custody Extends to Transaction Authorization
XRPL’s account controls give substance to the idea of managing assets independently.
Native multisigning allows an account to require authorization from multiple keys. Users can distribute those keys across separate devices or establish an approval arrangement involving several participants. This can reduce dependence on a single signing key when configured appropriately.
The benefit is control over how funds move. The corresponding responsibility is protecting the credentials and maintaining a workable recovery arrangement.
These features are relevant to Vet’s argument about a more digital world, although they do not make users immune to phishing, compromised devices or fraudulent instructions.
XRP Also Has a Built-In Trading Role
XRP’s utility extends beyond being held.
XRPL’s auto-bridging functionality can use XRP as an intermediary between two issued tokens when that route offers a better exchange rate than trading them directly. It can combine direct and XRP-mediated liquidity to improve execution.
The Crypto Basic previously covered XRP’s use as a bridge asset in XRPL DEX trades, illustrating a practical application of that design.
Together, these features substantiate the financial-autonomy side of Vet’s thesis: users can hold native XRP without an issuer’s redemption promise, configure their own authorization and access a protocol with built-in exchange functionality.
Calling XRP the future “gold of the internet” goes further. That outcome would require sustained demand and long-term confidence in its purchasing power. The technology establishes capabilities; market adoption determines their economic value.