The post Crypto Leaders Clash Over Whether XRPL Is Centralized appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Debate is raging in the crypto community as Justin Bons, founder and CIO of Cyber Capital, argues that Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) is “centralized.” Meanwhile, Ripple’s CTO Emeritus, David Schwartz, has firmly defended its architecture. This raises crucial questions about what makes a blockchain genuinely decentralized.  Justin Bons Labels XRP Ledger “Centralized”  In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Bons criticized what he calls “centralized blockchains.” He argued that several networks rely on permissioned validator structures, pointing to XRP Ledger’s Unique Node List (UNL) as an example. “Ripple: Has a “Unique Node List”, which makes the validators effectively permissioned. Any divergence from this centrally published list would cause a fork, effectively giving the Ripple Foundation & company absolute power & control over the chain,” he wrote. He also named Canton, Stellar, Hedera, and Algorand in his post. Bons framed decentralization as a binary choice, arguing that a blockchain is either fully permissionless or it is not. In his view, any permissioned element is “anti-thetical” to the ethos of crypto. “The future of finance is decentralized & permissionless,” he wrote. “But let’s not pretend as if these chains are really playing a part in this revolution…if you care about crypto. Reject these permissioned chains & demand they decentralize.” Bons also outlined what he described as the only three forms of blockchain consensus: Proof of Stake, Proof of Work, and Proof of Authority. He mentioned that any system not based on PoS or PoW then “it is, by definition, PoA.” The executive said that “choosing who we trust is not the same as trustlessness,” specifically referencing XRP and XLM. David Schwartz Defends XRP Ledger Bons’ post sparked notable reactions from the community. Schwartz, one of the chief architects of the XRP Ledger, rejected claims that Ripple has “absolute power & control.” He…

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Filed under: News - @ February 25, 2026 5:25 am