#XRPETFs CRYPTOCURRENCY
By TOBI OPEYEMI AMURE Updated May 28, 2024
Reviewed by ERIKA RASURE
Fact checked by SUZANNE KVILHAUG
XRP is a cryptocurrency and native token of XRP Ledger, an open-source blockchain. The cryptocurrency and blockchain are designed to enhance global financial transfers and the exchange of several currencies. Investors also use it to store value and profit from price fluctuations.
XRP and the XRP Ledger are also used by blockchain services company Ripple on its payment platform to facilitate transactions between financial institutions, businesses, and organizations.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
XRP is a cryptocurrency and the native token of the open-source XRP Ledger, founded in 2012 by David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Arthur Britto.
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XRP is pre-mined and has a total supply of 100 billion tokens.
XRP is more cost-effective, has faster transaction times, and is less energy-intensive than Bitcoin.
XRP, the cryptocurrency, is used but not owned by Ripple, the cryptocurrency services company.
IMPORTANT
It's common to see Ripple (the company) associated with ownership of XRP and XRP Ledger. Ripple does not own the blockchain or the cryptocurrency, but it contributes by running six of the unique nodes on the XRPL network.
2
The History of XRP
In 2011, Jed McCaleb, David Schwartz, and Arthur Britto started developing the XRP Ledger as a recourse to the inherent limitations of Bitcoin. In 2012, when the XRP Ledger was launched, its native token, XRP, was created to aid its function. The three developers released XRP and XRP Ledger in 2012 and were joined shortly after by Chris Larsen, and the Opencoin company was formed.
