XRP Ledger considers zero-XRP wallets for onboarding
7.1 Tech XRP Ledger may soon allow zero-XRP wallets via SponsoredAccountCreate, letting sponsors cover reserve fees and easing onboarding for stablecoin payments. Validator approval is pending.
XRP Ledger developers are testing a new transaction type called SponsoredAccountCreate. This feature would allow users to open blockchain wallets without needing any XRP, by shifting the reserve requirement to a sponsoring account. The proposal aims to lower onboarding barriers for stablecoin payments, embedded wallets, and AI-driven payment services. Businesses or platforms could sponsor the reserve and transaction fees, removing the need for each user to buy and hold XRP. Currently, a minimum reserve of 1 XRP per account is required to prevent spam and uncontrolled network growth, which can be costly for enterprises onboarding many users. With SponsoredAccountCreate, sponsors would cover these reserves, enabling wallet creation without direct XRP deposits, while users retain control of their private keys. The proposal is still under review and requires further validator approval before it can be implemented on the mainnet.
