XRP Will Decline Without Smart Contracts and a DAO - BFM Times

XRP was supposed to add a smart contract sidechain but that seems to remain out of current planning.

Smart Contracts are essential for modern blockchains because they add several capabilities, like:

the creation of Decentralized Exchanges that support privacy on blockchains

Blockchain Bridges that allow cross-chain movement of assets and liquidity

Automated Market Makers to stabilize the price of the main native token, i.e., XRP

On-chain security via blockchain oracles allowing more people to build dApps on the XRP Ledger, which is critical for adoption