Leaked Emails from Bill Gates’ Foundation about Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XLM)

Behind the headlines of blockchain launches and price surges, early-stage discussions often reveal the technical and strategic thinking that shaped today’s digital payment networks.

Private communications can uncover the questions, challenges, and comparisons that developers and institutions wrestled with as they explored new models for cross-border transfers. Recent leaked emails from the Bill Gates-backed Mojaloop Foundation provide a rare glimpse into these early deliberations.

Crypto commentator SMQKE shared the emails, which date back to October 20, 2017. The correspondence features Myrle Krantz, a developer associated with Apache Fineract, reviewing Mojaloop’s payment platform and evaluating its similarities and differences with Ripple and Stellar.

The exchange demonstrates how foundational decisions regarding interoperability, deployment, and adoption were carefully considered even before these networks achieved mainstream recognition.

Technical Evaluation of Mojaloop

Krantz described Mojaloop as a “Ripple fork,” noting its substantial overlap with Stellar. He praised the system’s focus on push payments processed immediately, emphasizing that real-time settlement represents a critical evolution in payments infrastructure.

At the same time, Krantz identified practical limitations, including several inaccessible GitHub links and minimal overlap with Fineract’s existing functionality. These observations reveal that even promising blockchain solutions require thorough vetting to integrate with traditional financial systems.

Adoption and Deployment Challenges

A recurring theme in the emails is adoption. Krantz recalled that Stellar’s bridge had never reached full deployment due to a lack of existing users, even as technical components were ready.

He referenced IBM’s partnership with Stellar as a potential turning point for network adoption, but questioned whether Mojaloop was being actively deployed at the time. This exchange underscores a fundamental challenge for blockchain projects: technical innovation alone cannot drive adoption without sufficient network participation.

Bridging Blockchain and Traditional Finance

The email also explored the potential for interoperability. Krantz asked whether LevelOne or other institutions were considering a Fineract-Mojaloop bridge, similar to the Fineract-Stellar bridge that had already been implemented.

This highlights the early focus on connecting blockchain networks to traditional banking infrastructure, ensuring that new payment platforms could operate effectively alongside legacy systems.

Historical Context and Implications

These leaked emails offer insight into how Ripple and Stellar were evaluated comparatively in the early days of blockchain development. They reveal that institutional stakeholders weighed technical capabilities, adoption potential, and integration feasibility long before these networks became widely used in cross-border payments.

By sharing these communications, SMQKE provides a rare perspective on the foundational thinking that shaped XRP and XLM. The emails illustrate that, beyond hype and market speculation, strategic analysis, deployment planning, and interoperability considerations were central to the evolution of blockchain networks poised to transform global finance.

Disclaimer: This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are urged to do in-depth research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses.

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