Building a true bridge currency requires first solving technical interoperability across different domestic payment systems. XRP achieves this through Ripple's Interledger Protocol (ILP), which connects disparate payment networks seamlessly.

The beauty of ILP lies in its design: it allows instant payment systems to communicate and settle transactions without requiring a common ledger. Think of it as a universal translator for payment infrastructure. When FedNow and other central bank digital systems need to interact, they can do so through this protocol layer without compromising their independent operations.

XRP's positioning here matters because it provides a neutral asset that can facilitate these cross-system settlements. Rather than forcing adoption of a single standard, ILP lets existing payment rails coexist while enabling genuine interoperability. This is fundamentally different from siloed systems that require years of bilateral integration work.

For financial rails to truly evolve, we need this kind of infrastructure-level compatibility. XRP and the Interledger Protocol represent one approach to solving that puzzle.