XRP is a cryptocurrency and native token of XRP Ledger, an open-source blockchain. Their 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.
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.
The goal behind the XRP Ledger was similar to the vision of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, which was to foster an easier, faster, and more secure way to make transactions globally. The key difference, however, is that it has always been marketed toward businesses rather than consumers, although everyone can use it.