As transaction volume on the XRP Ledger approaches 200 transactions per ledger, nearing the historical network capacity limit, XRP transaction fees have surged accordingly. Ripple Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz explained that the fee mechanism is designed to respond quickly to small increases in demand that exceed capacity, employing an exponential fee curve to maintain stability. Validators independently assess ledger capacity and collectively set clearing fees, prioritizing higher-fee transactions during network congestion to ensure network performance.