Ripple CTO Clears Up Critical AMM Misconception

As a seasoned crypto investor with over a decade of experience, I’ve witnessed the evolution of various blockchain projects and their associated tokens. The recent conversation about Automated Market Makers (AMMs) on X has caught my attention, particularly the insights shared by Ripple CTO David Schwartz.

David Schwartz, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, has weighed in on a discussion about Automated Market Maker (AMM) liquidity, specifically focusing on the role of liquidity provider (LP) tokens and how they impact liquidity pools. The dialogue on platform X revolved around the workings of LP tokens and their effects on liquidity pools.

The conversation about X aimed to explain the consequences of securing LP tokens in ‘inactive’ accounts, and whether this action is equivalent to destroying them. Some users of X debated over whether deleting these tokens would transfer their value to other LP token owners. One user of X thinks that by locking in this way, they are also securing the fees that they earn.

In simpler terms, Mayukha Vadari, a Senior Software Engineer at RippleX, clarified that an LP token symbolizes your portion of the pool. If you discard it, others can withdraw the liquidity you initially contributed. The only method to maintain liquidity within the pool is by keeping the LP tokens in a ‘blackhole’.

1) Earned fees boost the overall liquidity within the Automated Market Maker (AMM). However, determining if this will lead to an increase in the token’s worth can be intricate; yet it’s generally agreed that a larger AMM tends to be more beneficial for the token compared to a smaller one.

— David “JoelKatz” Schwartz (@JoelKatz) December 13, 2024

Schwartz clarified a widespread misunderstanding. He emphasized that the fees generated by the AMM don’t vanish; instead, they boost the liquidity of the AMM. Although it’s intricate to predict if this will lead to higher value for the issued token, generally speaking, a more substantial AMM is likely beneficial for the token compared to a smaller one.

More on XRP Ledger AMMs

In simpler terms, Automated Market Makers (AMMs) facilitate trading within the XRP Ledger’s peer-to-peer exchange platform. These AMMs maintain a shared pool containing two types of assets. Users can easily trade one asset for another, with the exchange rate determined by a mathematical formula rather than human intervention.

Individuals who contribute funds to an Automated Market Maker (AMM) are often referred to as liquidity providers. As compensation, these contributors receive LP tokens issued by the AMM. These LP tokens can be later exchanged for a portion of the AMM’s asset pool, which may include any collected fees. The value exchange rate in an AMM is calculated based on the proportion of assets within the pool itself.

In simpler terms, an Automated Market Maker (AMM) typically offers more favorable exchange rates when it has larger total funds in its pool, as pointed out by Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer. This is due to the fact that each trade causes a smaller adjustment to the AMM’s asset balance.

By offering their assets to trading platforms as liquidity, providers earn passive income through transaction fees. This income helps compensate them for the exchange rate risks that come with allowing others to trade using their pooled resources. Unlike the fees being paid to the Automated Market Maker (AMM) directly, the profits are realized when the liquidity providers choose to cash out their LP tokens, which represent a share of the AMM pool.

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2024-12-14 15:45