The XRP Ledger (XRPL) is preparing to activate fixCleanup3_4_0 at approximately 09:34 UTC on October 23, provided validator support remains above the required 80% threshold. The amendment secured its supermajority on October 9, triggering a mandatory two-week countdown. If support drops to 80% or lower before activation, the countdown resets and the amendment must maintain sufficient backing for another full two weeks.
The upgrade addresses several technical issues within the existing protocol, including lending infrastructure, automated market makers, token handling, escrow transactions, and account permissions. The package was introduced in rippled version 3.4.0.
Token-Creation Flaw Prompts Fix
The most significant correction targets a feature activated October 8 called PermissionDelegationV1_1, which allows account owners to delegate limited authority to other accounts without sharing their main keys. One permission, called PaymentBurn, is designed to let authorized accounts destroy certain tokens. However, a software flaw could produce the opposite result under specific conditions, allowing tokens to be created instead.
Official XRP Ledger documentation has warned operators against granting that particular permission until the cleanup amendment activates. The update also corrects how vaults calculate withdrawals, tightens rules for declaring loans overdue, and prevents certain automated market maker transactions from destroying liquidity tokens without returning assets.
For ordinary XRP holders, the changes should be largely invisible. Node operators will need compatible software to continue following network consensus after activation.
Native Lending System Approval Remains Uncertain
The cleanup includes several lending-related fixes despite native lending itself lacking approval. The proposed Lending Protocol would allow users to pool assets and fund fixed-term loans through the XRP Ledger, with borrowers not necessarily providing collateral while loan brokers arrange terms outside the blockchain.
Three separate amendments are required for the complete lending system. As of mid-October, two lending amendments had approximately 53% validator support, while the SingleAssetVault amendment had similar backing. All remained short of the necessary supermajority, leaving their activation dates undetermined.
The October 23 upgrade could deliver software corrections that strengthen lending infrastructure, while the lending system those corrections support remains unavailable for launch.
