Ripple (XRP) is Changing the Way We Think About-Payments

Ripple is on track to completely revolutionize the way we send money around the world, and it's doing so using its native cryptocurrency, XRP.

Before we get into how Ripple works and why it's so exciting, here's a brief history of XRP and its development over the past few years.

As you read on, you'll also learn how you can invest in XRP – or even use it as an alternative form of payment – today.

How The Ripple Platform Works

Banks and other financial institutions use Ripple's distributed ledger technology to improve their payments infrastructure.

The platform connects banks, payment providers, digital asset exchanges, and corporates via RippleNet to provide an easy, quick and secure way to process cross-border payments.

Because these transactions take place outside of banking hours, users can send money anywhere in any currency at any time of day for a fraction of what it would cost through conventional methods.

The Promise of Interledger Protocol

ILP sits on top of various blockchains, allowing for transactions between different ledgers.

This could be useful for many reasons, such as allowing banks to trade directly with one another without going through Ripple.

This has always been a limitation of Ripple's plan, and if they were able to make it work, it would be a huge step forward. You can also read their whitepaper.

How Does XRP Work?

The transaction network uses a common ledger of all balances. The XRP digital asset then allows for transfers across multiple ledgers.

Banks and other financial institutions are known for their slow and expensive transactions.

Ripple is trying to build a global settlement network designed to solve these problems and provide a cheaper, faster payment system.

By using XRP, banks can process payments from one country to another without delays or third-party payments networks.

So they can leverage cross-border infrastructure while reducing costs significantly.

What Are Some Key Advantages of XRP?

The main advantage of XRP is that it can be used to transfer value between any two currencies in less than four seconds with near-zero fees.

Because of its immediacy and low cost, XRP also works well for cross-border payments. Additionally, XRP has no control over inflation and has a finite supply, meaning that as demand grows, more coins are not created.

This means that unlike fiat currency, which devalues over time due to inflation, XRP will always have a certain amount of purchasing power.

This makes it ideal for storing wealth and transferring large sums without incurring significant losses from volatility.

Finally, because Ripple is an open-source platform, anyone can build on top of it; companies have already begun using Ripple's technology to facilitate faster money transfers across borders.

Where Can I Buy/Trade/Store XRP?

Ripple's official website lists exchanges on their Where to buy XRP. These are mostly centralized exchanges so that you can buy Ripple for fiat currencies such as USD and EUR.

The cheapest way to get XRP might be through an exchange such as Binance or Bittrex, where it can be traded with other cryptocurrencies.

You can also store your XRP on an exchange if you want - but that would mean giving away control of your currency, so it's not advised.

If you decide to go down that route, check out our guide on using centralized exchanges safely. If you're looking for a secure wallet, try Ledger Nano S or any hardware wallet.

Final Thoughts on Investing in XRP

XRP also provides a great solution for banks looking to ease into blockchain technology without losing their own power.

Ripple was created with banking in mind, so it's no surprise that many companies have partnered with XRP to test its potential applications.

If you're interested in cryptocurrency and want to invest in XRP but aren't sure how or don't want to deal with purchasing digital currency yourself, you can always purchase XRP through the crypto marketplace.