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It is the second piece of XRP news from the ledger this week, after slow ledger closes on Tuesday. The XRP Ledger’s fixCleanup3_4_0 bug fix missed its October 23 launch after validator support fell to 26 of 35 on Wednesday, October 21, restarting the two-week countdown and pushing activation to November 4.
One bad checkpoint did it. The fix needed 29 votes and had no spare ones.
The XRP price is down 2% in 24 hours to $1.33. So how close is the XRP Ledger to a clean bill of health?
We're working on a fix release for the occasional slowness in ledger closing times on the XRP Ledger.
We are also in contact with infrastructure operators and community devs on this. 🙏
I'll keep you updated as we progress here. https://t.co/4kVFRZKRzU
— Vet (@Vet_X0) October 21, 2026
XRP News: Why Did the Bug Fix Miss Its October 23 Date?
Because the rules allow no slips. An amendment, the XRP Ledger’s word for a rule change, needs more than 80% of the 35 default validators, or 29, at every check for 14 days straight. The fix had exactly 29 on Monday.
At 12:54 UTC on Wednesday, XRPL Dashboard counted 26. By 14:46 UTC the votes were back, and a new clock started. The ledger’s own amendment data shows the new majority dates from 14:46 UTC on October 21, which puts activation at 14:46 UTC on November 4.
Support has since grown to 31 of 35. That’s two votes of cushion this time. Any of the XRP validators that is offline or restarting at a checkpoint counts the same as a “no.”
What does the fix do? It closes a loophole that could let an account allowed only to burn an issuer’s tokens create new ones, and it changes how the XRPL lending code marks a loan late or in default. Lending itself still isn’t live.
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Are XRP Ledger Closes Back to Normal?
Mostly, for now. XRP Ledger Operations said it has begun rolling out a recommended xrpld config change to hub, validator and node operators “to address the issue for now,” while it tests fixes for a point release that will address the root cause.
We've begun rolling out a recommended xrpld config change to hub, validator and node operators to address the issue for now.
In parallel, we're testing fixes for a point release that will address the root cause.
We'll continue updating the community as we progress. https://t.co/v5LDIBaUUI
— XRP Ledger Operations (@XRPLOperations) October 21, 2026
The close times back that up. Public XRPL servers show hourly averages of 3.84 to 4.05 seconds per ledger since Wednesday evening, against a normal 3.89 seconds and Tuesday’s spikes of up to 50 seconds. The ledger passed 107.8 million this morning.
The slowdown and the delayed fix are separate problems. Neither has stopped payments.
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XRP Price Analysis: Does a Death Cross Matter Here?
It adds pressure. XRP’s 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) at $1.3743 just slipped under its 200-day EMA at $1.3747 on the daily chart, a “death cross,” though the two lines are a fraction of a cent apart.
XRP is trading near $1.33 after retreating from its recent October highs around $1.60. The price has fallen below both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, currently near $1.37, indicating continued selling pressure.
Support lies around $1.26, a level buyers need to defend to prevent further losses. If XRP recovers above $1.37, it could attempt a move toward $1.40–$1.45.
However, a break below $1.26 could expose the $1.20 area.
The ledger is closing on time again. The next XRP news that matters is whether 29 validators can stay online for 14 days.
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