How the network agrees

Validators agree on each new ledger version in a few seconds, and from then on it's final.

Every few seconds, the network settles a new ledger version: xrpl.org puts it at about 4 to 6 seconds. Validators share the transactions they've seen, compare proposals with the validators they trust, and adjust until enough of them agree.

When a large enough share of trusted validators reach the same result, that version is validated. Its transactions are final: there's no undo button and no administrator who can reverse them.

Agreeing on the order of transactions is what stops anyone spending the same XRP twice, the classic problem every kind of digital money has to solve.

Until a transaction is in a validated ledger version, its result isn't final. That's why it's worth waiting for a validated result before treating a payment as done.

Sources

Consensus Protocol (xrpl.org) (checked 2026-10-22)
What is the XRP Ledger? (xrpl.org) (checked 2026-10-22)
Finality of Results (xrpl.org) (checked 2026-10-22)

General information about how the XRP Ledger works, not financial, legal or tax advice.