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XRP
Asset Information • XRP

Understand XRP.

A plain-English research guide to XRP, the XRP Ledger, Ripple, the asset's history, supply and utility. This page provides background context; live ReguMetric intelligence remains on the XRP Intelligence page.

XRP ≠ XRP Ledger ≠ Ripple

XRPThe native digital asset used on the XRP Ledger.
XRP Ledger (XRPL)The open-source, decentralized Layer-1 blockchain on which XRP exists and transactions are recorded.
RippleA privately owned technology company that uses XRP and XRPL technology in some products and is one of many contributors to the XRP Ledger ecosystem.

What Is XRP?

The digital asset and the network are related, but they are not interchangeable terms.

Native Digital Asset

XRP is the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger. It is built directly into the ledger rather than issued as a separate token by a company.

Network Transactions

XRP is used for transaction costs on XRPL. The fee mechanism also helps protect the network from spam.

Bridge Asset

XRP can act as a bridge between assets and currencies in the XRP Ledger's native decentralized exchange.

History & Origins

A short timeline separating the creation of XRPL/XRP from the later formation of the company now called Ripple.

2011

Development Begins

David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb and Arthur Britto began developing what became the XRP Ledger, seeking a system for transferring value without proof-of-work mining.

2012

XRP Ledger Launches

The XRP Ledger launched in June 2012. Its native digital asset is XRP.

September 2012

Company Formation

Chris Larsen joined the group and the company NewCoin was formed. It was soon renamed OpenCoin, later Ripple Labs, and eventually Ripple.

About Ripple

Why Ripple appears frequently in XRP research—and why the distinction still matters.

What Ripple Is

Ripple is a privately owned technology company focused on digital-asset infrastructure for financial institutions. Its products include payments, custody, stablecoin and related infrastructure.

Relationship to XRP & XRPL

Ripple uses XRP and XRP Ledger technology in some solutions, holds XRP, and contributes to XRPL development. Ripple states that it does not own the XRP Ledger and is one of many developers contributing to it.

ReguMetric treats company activity, network activity and the digital asset itself as related evidence—not as the same thing.

XRP Supply & Distribution

Supply history is useful background. Current Ripple holdings and escrow balances can change, so dated figures should always be identified as snapshots.

Created at inception
100B

One hundred billion XRP were created when the ledger was established. The protocol does not create new XRP through mining.

Historical allocation
80B

The XRPL founders gifted 80 billion XRP to the company that became Ripple to support development of use cases around the asset.

Ripple Escrow

Ripple placed a large portion of its XRP into on-ledger escrow. Because escrow balances change over time, ReguMetric should date any current balance rather than hard-code it as a permanent fact.

How the XRP Ledger Works

Core concepts a new investor is likely to encounter when researching XRP.

Consensus

XRPL uses a consensus protocol rather than proof-of-work mining. Validators participate in agreeing on the order and outcome of transactions.

Validators

Validators are servers that participate in the consensus process. The network is operated by independent participants including organizations and individuals.

Ledger Close

XRPL documentation describes consensus reaching agreement on transactions approximately every 3–5 seconds.

Native DEX

XRPL includes a decentralized exchange at the protocol level where XRP and issued tokens can be traded in currency pairs.

Tokenization

XRPL supports issued assets and tokenization, allowing representations of other forms of value to exist and move on the ledger.

Open Source

The XRP Ledger is open-source technology. Developers and organizations can build applications and services using the network.

What XRP Is Used For

Utility describes what the asset can do. It is not a prediction of price or investment performance.

Value Transfer

XRP can be transferred directly across the XRP Ledger with settlement measured in seconds.

Liquidity & Bridging

XRP can serve as an intermediary asset when exchanging between different currencies or tokens on XRPL.

Transaction Costs

Small amounts of XRP are used as transaction costs. These fees are destroyed rather than paid to validators.

Official Research Resources

Start with primary documentation when you want to verify how XRP or XRPL works.