The XRP Ledger returned to normal ledger-closing times on Oct. 22 after a configuration change recommended to network operators. The fix followed a day of intermittent delays that disrupted the chain's usual three-to-five-second settlement rhythm. Separately, a protocol amendment that patches a token-permission flaw and tightens vault accounting lost its approval countdown and now cannot activate before Nov. 4.
Operators restored normal closing times with a recommended config change
On Oct. 21, some ledgers began taking longer than usual to close. XRPL Operations said most ledgers kept closing on schedule, but the intermittent delays were enough to prompt an investigation.
The team then distributed a recommended xrpld configuration change to hub, validator, and node operators. By Oct. 22, closing times were back to normal, according to the operations team, though developers are still testing a point release aimed at the underlying cause.
David Schwartz, one of XRPL's original architects and Ripple's former chief technology officer, offered a possible explanation. He said the issue looked like servers trying too hard to get too many transactions into each ledger.
He also noted that XRPL cannot close a ledger more often than every four seconds, so limiting transactions per ledger does not necessarily impose a transactions-per-second ceiling.
That points to a trade-off: packing more transactions into each ledger versus keeping settlement times consistent. Developers have not yet determined whether the incident reflected a broader capacity constraint or a software behavior that can be corrected without affecting throughput.
The distinction matters commercially, because XRPL now underpins services that need predictable settlement, including RLUSD stablecoin transfers, tokenized securities, and institutional payment rails.
The fixCleanup3_4_0 amendment lost its two-week countdown
Separately, the fixCleanup3_4_0 amendment hit a governance snag. The amendment, introduced in September's xrpld 3.4.0 release, patches issues involving token permissions, automated market makers, asset vaults, lending operations, and escrow transactions. Among the fixes is a permission-delegation flaw that could let an account authorized to destroy certain fungible tokens create additional tokens under specific circumstances.
The network's documentation advises issuers against delegating the affected PaymentBurn permission until the correction is active.
The amendment had been heading toward an Oct. 23 activation before validator backing briefly fell below the supermajority XRPL requires to change protocol rules. XRPL needs support from more than 80 percent of trusted validators, uninterrupted for 14 days, before an amendment can activate.
The temporary loss of support on Oct. 21 erased the accumulated approval period, even though backing later recovered above the threshold.
The XRPLWin amendment tracker now places the earliest activation on Nov. 4, provided the renewed majority holds. XRPL contributor Vet confirmed that additional validator votes restored the amendment's countdown, and clarified that fixCleanup3_4_0 addresses older protocol issues unrelated to the recent ledger-closing delays.
Token-permission safeguards stay off until the amendment activates
The delay extends the window before the token-permission safeguards become enforceable. It also pushes back corrections meant to improve vault accounting and transaction handling in XRPL's developing lending infrastructure. That lending layer still needs further protocol approvals before native lending services can go live.
A further drop in validator support would reset the waiting period again and could push activation past Nov. 4.
XRP traded at $1.31 on Oct. 22, down 4.18 percent over 24 hours, with a market capitalization of $82.58 billion, per CryptoSlate. The two dates to watch are the point release that should settle whether the ledger fix is permanent, and Nov. 4, when fixCleanup3_4_0 could finally activate if validator support holds.