In a groundbreaking thread shared by cryptocurrency analyst Edo Farina, a compelling case was made challenging the conventional narrative of blockchain technology's origins. According to Farina, XRP Ledger may have existed before Bitcoin, with technical infrastructure and domain operations dating back to 2007, before Bitcoin's genesis block was mined on January 3, 2009.

XRPL.org Has Been Operational Before Bitcoin Came Into Existence

The domain XRPL.org, which now serves as the core documentation hosting site for XRP Ledger, has been operational since January 2007, hosted at IP address 64.20.43.107. This is an important revelation, indicating that the foundational codebase of XRP had been running for two years before Satoshi Nakamoto launched Bitcoin.

Interestingly, several other cryptocurrency-related domains were also hosted on the same IP address during that time. Including:

  • RippleTrade.com — September 2006

  • Bitcoin.com — March 2007

  • CraigWright.net — March 2007

  • Smsz.net — link to Mt. Gox's Mark Karpeles — September 2006

The shared archival footprint shows early collaboration or at least common technical infrastructure among key players in the early cryptocurrency space, long before Bitcoin's official launch.

Ripple's History Did Not Start in 2012

While many believe that Ripple started in 2012 when Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb rebranded as OpenCoin, the origins of this company go back much further. In 2004, developer Ryan Fugger launched RipplePay, a decentralized online payment protocol designed to allow individuals to create and exchange credit without relying on banks.

That foundation laid the philosophical and technical groundwork for XRP Ledger, an energy-efficient blockchain capable of scaling using a consensus protocol rather than Bitcoin's energy-intensive proof of work.

Farina also draws attention to Ripple Communications, one of the 13 federally registered trademarks of Ripple Labs. Unlike other trademarks, Ripple Communications was registered in 1991, indicating the presence of this brand long before the blockchain revolution decades ago.

But what makes this particularly important is the direct involvement of Ripple Communications with the U.S. intelligence community. In a 2012 post, Darcy Kohn from Ripple Communications was quoted as having reached out to the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), ODNI, and other U.S. agencies to invite them to technology demonstrations.

The relationship between Ripple Communications and the national security community is further evidenced by Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg, former Marketing Director of Ripple Communications and now the Chair of INSA.

XRP Always Greater Than Bitcoin

This deeper historical context describes XRP not as a replacement for Bitcoin, but as a parallel effort and potentially a precursor to shaping the future of digital finance. The foundational work of XRP appears to have begun long before Bitcoin, supported by longstanding relationships in technology, legal matters, and even government.

Edo Farina's investigation reshapes the timeline and invites reconsideration of XRP's role in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. XRP is not a response to Bitcoin but may have been designed to surpass it.