Ripple is the base currency of the Ripple network, which can circulate throughout the Ripple network, with a total supply of 100 billion, and it gradually decreases as transactions increase. The operating company of Ripple is Ripple Labs (formerly known as OpenCoin).

Ripple is the only universal currency in the Ripple system, which is different from other currencies in the Ripple system. Other currencies, such as CNY and USD, cannot be withdrawn across gateways. In other words, CNY issued by Gateway A can only be withdrawn at Gateway A. If one wants to withdraw at Gateway B, it must be converted into CNY of Gateway B through the order functionality of the Ripple system before it can be withdrawn at Gateway B. However, Ripple has no such restrictions; it is universal within the Ripple system.