Validator Publishes U.S. GDP Data on XRP Ledger, Explains Why the Government Did Not Pick XRP

An XRP Ledger (XRPL) validator has shown that the network can easily manage the same task the U.S. Department of Commerce recently carried out on other blockchains. Vet, an XRPL dUNL validator, showed that publishing official economic data on-chain is possible on the XRPL in a simple and low-cost manner. This has further raised questions about why the U.S. government excluded the XRP Ledger from its recent initiative. US Commerce Department Adopts Blockchain For context, the Commerce Department recently announced that it had begun publishing key economic data, starting with GDP figures, directly on public blockchains.  Officials called the move a proof-of-concept to make government data more transparent and trustworthy. For its trial run, the department released a cryptographic hash of the GDP report across nine blockchains: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, TRON, Stellar, Avalanche, Arbitrum One, Polygon PoS, and Optimism.  The report also remains available in its usual formats, such as PDFs, but blockchain technology now makes it more secure and immutable. The recent development triggered excitement within crypto circles, as it pointed to growing public adoption of blockchain. Validator Publishes US GDP Data on the XRPL However, some XRP proponents noticed that the XRPL was not part of the list, even though it has proven to be a trustworthy destination for low-cost and efficient data storage and transactions. Most insisted that the XRPL could actually handle the task. Interestingly, to prove that the omission had little to do with capability, Vet recreated the government's method on XRPL.  He stored the SHA256 hash of the GDP report in two different ways: once as a memo within a transaction, similar to Bitcoin's approach, and once inside a non-fungible token (NFT) that included both the hash and a link to the original file.  https://twitter.com/Vet_X0/status/1961128118145757325 According to Vet, the entire process took only seconds and cost less than a penny. He stressed that all of this was done using native XRPL features, without the need for smart contracts. In response, one proponent asked whether publishing data directly on XRPL would make services like Chainlink or Pyth unnecessary. Vet explained that while anyone can publish the data manually, distributors like Chainlink and Pyth make it more practical. They broadcast information quickly across multiple blockchains, and this ensures broader reach and reliability. When asked if publishing large amounts of such data on XRPL might eventually slow the network down, Vet noted that memos and NFTs have already proven reliable at scale.  The dUNL validator pointed out that GDP data only comes out once every quarter, which puts less strain on the network compared to real-time price feeds. He also noted that XRPL Oracles could handle heavier loads if needed, giving the ledger even more room to scale. Why the Government Sidelined XRPL Meanwhile, someone suggested that the government chose different chains because of their ability to use smart contracts, which XRPL does not yet support at the base layer.  Responding, Vet admitted that smart contracts add versatility. However, the Commerce Department also published data on Bitcoin, which has no native smart contracts either.  Another critic claimed that the government's decision showed a lack of trust in XRPL. However, Vet disagreed with this suggestion.  Notably, he explained that the Commerce Department relied on Chainlink and Pyth to distribute the GDP data. Since neither service currently supports XRPL, the ledger was simply not included. Vet claimed the decision had nothing to do with bias and had more to do with availability. https://twitter.com/Vet_X0/status/1961135399402721338