Inside XRP – the story behind one of XRP Top Crypto Contender

XRP Top Crypto Contender: From Origins to 2025 Comeback

The simplest and most straightforward way to describe XRP Top Crypto Contender is as the third most prominent cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Although the asset dropped out of the top three several times, it has been trailing close behind giants Bitcoin and Ethereum for years now, and presents unique characteristics that have helped it advance its position in the crypto hierarchy. At the time of writing, the XRP to USD price was standing at $2.969002, and the market cap for the asset was valued at $177.76B USD. 

Most people know about XRP because of the lightning-fast transaction speeds and near-zero fees, two of its biggest strengths, but only a few are familiar with its origins and evolution over the years. So, how did XRP get to where it is today? As a crypto project that managed to hold its ground through thick and thin, XRP Top Crypto Contender has quite an interesting story behind it that’s unique in the cryptocurrency space, and therefore worth telling. 

Background and beginnings 

It all started back in 2011 when, inspired by Bitcoin’s story, engineers Jed McCaleb, David Schwartz, and Arthur Britto joined forces to create their own blockchain platform. However, they had no intention of copying Bitcoin’s model, but instead wanted to address its shortcomings, which had become obvious by then, focusing on aspects such as speed, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. They outlined their vision in a forum post titled Bitcoin without mining. So began the development of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), which was launched in June 2012. 

Designed specifically for payments, the purpose of the XRP Ledger was to enable fast, affordable, scalable, and secure global transactions, geared more toward institutional use, although there were no restrictions on who could use its services. The network’s ability to settle international transfers in seconds, considerably faster than traditional banking methods, while incurring minimal fees, made it perfect for financial institutions looking to save money and streamline cross-border payments. 

In parallel with the launch of the XRP Ledger, the developing team also introduced XRP, the platform’s native token, created to support the network’s use cases. Not long after this, Chris Larsen came on board the project and the group founded the OpenCoin company, which was later rebranded to Ripple Labs. Several years later, in 2020, the XRP Ledger Foundation was created to help with the development and adoption of the XRP Ledger. 

Although many use the terms Ripple and XRP Top Crypto Contender interchangeably when referring to the native token of the XRP Ledger, they’re not quite the same, so it’s important to understand the distinction between the two. XRP is an independent digital currency that Ripple, the tech company, uses to deliver its services. The token is built upon the decentralized blockchain platform XRP Ledger, and has a limited supply of 100 coins, all of which have been pre-mined upon launch. 80% of the tokens went to Ripple Labs, out of which 55% percent are kept in escrow, and 20% went to the developing team. 

The performance 

The concept that Ripple introduced through XRP looked great on paper, but let’s see how things unfolded in practice. While XRP’s primary purpose is to serve as a bridge currency and settlement layer in the Ripple ecosystem, the tokens can also be used as investment instruments, being available for purchase on all major cryptocurrency exchanges. 

During its early days, XRP’s volatility was quite intense, with its price frequently swinging from fractions of a cent to a few cents. The crypto really started to take off around 2017-2018, when it went on its first major bull run and reached its all‑time high of about US$3.84. The trend was largely fueled by favorable market conditions and Ripple’s partnerships with banks and financial institutions. This rapid appreciation was followed by a sharp decline, which caused XRP to fall below $0.50 on several occasions. 

Then, in 2020, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Ripple, accusing the company of conducting unlawful sales through the offering of XRP, which the regulator claimed should have been registered as securities. Since Ripple failed to do so, the SEC argued that the sales went against the federal securities law. 

Unsurprisingly, the legal battle had a notable impact on market sentiment. Due to the uncertainty around XRP’s future, investors started to pull away from it, and the asset dropped in value, temporarily losing its top-tier status. 

After five years of proceedings, which affected XRP’s image and reputation, the legal clash finally concluded in August 2025, with both parties withdrawing their appeals. The court decided that institutional sales of XRP were unlawful because they constituted securities transactions, but sales to the general public on exchanges were not securities. 

This regulatory clarity helped XRP regain investors’ trust and confidence. Ripple resumed its development, focusing on forging new partnerships and expanding its ecosystem. As a result, XRP started to gain traction once again, and the token increased in price considerably over the past few months.      

The Bitcoin benchmark 

In the crypto space, comparisons to Bitcoin are inevitable. Every crypto project that has ever made it into the spotlight has been measured against the standards established by Bitcoin, and XRP makes no exception. Although the assets have common features, the differences between the two are more than obvious. 

First of all, XRP Top Crypto Contender uses a unique consensus mechanism, known as the XRPL Consensus or the Federated Consensus, which uses far less energy thanBitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) protocol. This fundamental difference also leads to notable discrepancies in terms of speed and costs, with XRP being the more performant of the two. 

Another aspect that has to be mentioned is the networks’ throughput. While the XRP Ledger can process up to 1,500 transactions per second, Bitcoin can only handle 3 to 7 transactions per second. 

XRP’s journey in the crypto market has been anything but ordinary, being marked by resilience, controversy, and significant evolution. With a deep focus on innovation and a compelling value proposition, there’s no doubt that XRP Top Crypto Contender remains one of the most noteworthy projects in the industry and will likely maintain its leading position in the long run.