XRP (XRP) 
- Ripple (XRP) is the native token of California-based start-up Ripple Labs and is one of the top three cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. The company aims to help banks improve cross-border transactions by using blockchain technology, while the token, is needed to use some of its services.
| Market Cap | Volume 24h | Circulating Supply | Maximum Supply |
|---|---|---|---|
| $ 12,669,449,470 40,926,963,548 XRP |
$ 376,921,030 1,217,593,022 XRP |
40,926,963,305 XRP | 100,000,000,000 XRP |
The Ripple platform itself was designed back in 2012, as a brainchild of Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb who created it with the goal to revolutionize global infrastructure used for digital transactions, settlements and exchange of financial assets.
Traditional financial institutions have demonstrated their support for the Ripple project. Currently, there are dozens of institutions, banks, and other financial service providers, such as Standard Chartered Bank and American Express, who are using one of the three Ripple products.
The platform is among the fastest currently as it settles payments in a mere four seconds. Moreover, it is able to process up to 1,500 transactions per second (TPS). The settlement speed is a factor that banks see as an advantage because this results in greater customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the TPS value means the platform is able to support a large number of users which is where many digital currencies, such as bitcoin, are unable to effectively function and deliver.
Transferring money between banks is not a cheap affair with banks spending a large amount in fees. The use of Ripple platform can help them reduce the cost associated with these transactions through the use of its native digital currency XRP. Moreover, the platform supports cross-currency payments, which means that it is possible to change currencies within a transaction while still maintaining speed and cost-effectiveness.
Together with other cryptocurrencies, Ripple price experienced a sharp drop in 2018. The market capitalization of Ripple reached USD 10 billion in September 2018, compared to its record high of USD 122 billion in January of 2018.
Therefore an investor needs to keep a vigilant eye on XRP price and follow not only Ripple related news, but the general trends in the cryptoverse, regulation news, also
Cryptocurrency exchanges, such as Bitfinex, Kraken, Bitstamp and other, are the easiest way to buy Ripple, as it cannot be mined, in contrast to Bitcoin, Ethereum and many other cryptocurrencies.
During the creation of Ripple’s native cryptographic token XRP, 100,000,000,000 units were created. While some of the units were distributed to individuals and institutions, Ripple currently owns and controls over 50% of the total unit supply. This fact has made the company come under fire with accusations of centralization. Due to the large amount the company controls, they are theoretically able to manipulate the price of the token, which is an undesirable outcome for investors within the community.
In response, in December 2017, the company agreed to release 1 billion XRP to the market on monthly basis over the next 55 months.