XRP Ledger Activates Permissioned DEX With 82% Validator Support

XRP Ledger enabled its Permissioned DEX amendment on February 18, 2026 at 10:58:10 AM UTC after 82.35% of validators voted in favor.

The upgrade lets institutions create decentralized exchanges where only verified entities can participate. Banks, payment providers, and regulated financial institutions can now trade and provide liquidity with all participants known and approved, addressing compliance concerns that have limited institutional adoption of decentralized exchanges.

Analyst Stern Drew said the upgrade unlocks institutional participation by providing the missing bridge between traditional finance and blockchain rails. However, he warned it might take time for institutions to actually deploy liquidity until the CLARITY ACT and DNAOnChain's zk-credential system go live.

The permissioned DEX works through order books tied to unique domain IDs, with trades staying within the same domain. Order books are created when the first valid offer is placed and automatically deleted when empty. Participants can place three types of offers: open orders that match anyone, permissioned orders restricted to the same domain, or hybrid orders that match a mix of both.

The first permissioned offer has already been created on the XRP DEX following the activation. Social media user Nick stated that once the market structure bill passes this year, every other obstacle to mass institutionalization of the Ledger will be removed. The Permissioned DEX amendment activated six days after the Token Escrow amendment on February 12, 2026.