Crypto analyst Stern Drew asserts that Ripple and XRP's scaling was intentionally delayed to await advancements in zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs and blockchain identity. Drew references comments from Ripple executives David Schwartz and Brad Garlinghouse, indicating that the integration of native ZK-proofs on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) now facilitates decentralized settlement and privacy-preserving compliance. Drew argues that ZK-proofs remove the need for intermediaries by allowing cryptographic transaction verification. He also notes the potential for ZK-powered identity systems to harmonize compliance and privacy, particularly in institutional DeFi and real-world asset stablecoins.