Report on XRP by One of the Most Authoritative Companies: 'The Most Misunderstood Altcoin'
21Shares, a prominent crypto asset management firm, published a report describing XRP as potentially one of the most misunderstood cryptocurrencies. It challenges the widespread perception that Ripple controls the XRP Ledger (XRPL), highlighting that XRPL is an open, decentralized blockchain network. The report notes that XRP was launched in 2012 with the core purpose of enabling fast, low-cost, and reliable value transfer, settling transactions in 3-5 seconds for an average fee of $0.0002.
All 100 billion XRP were created at launch, with no new supply possible. The total supply is deflationary, as a small amount of XRP is burned with each transaction—over 14 million have been destroyed to date.
21Shares clarifies the distinction between XRP, XRPL, and Ripple. Ripple is a private tech company developing payment infrastructure on XRPL but reportedly controls only 1 of 35 validators in the default Unique Node List. The ecosystem includes various independent validators and developers.
Initially, 80 billion XRP were allocated to Ripple to foster ecosystem growth. In 2017, Ripple placed 55 billion into escrow, with approximately 34 billion remaining, released according to a public schedule.
The primary use case for XRP is as a bridge asset for cross-border payments, utilized by companies like SBI Holdings and Tranglo. However, XRPL's ecosystem has expanded to include a native decentralized exchange, token issuance, stablecoins (like Ripple's RLUSD at ~$1.6B), and tokenized real-world assets (totaling ~$4B). While assets on XRPL don't have to trade directly in XRP, every network transaction requires a fee paid and burned in XRP.
The report concludes by contrasting XRP with Bitcoin: Bitcoin is a digital store of value, while XRP aims to integrate into the existing financial system's money transfer infrastructure, a crucial distinction for investor understanding.
cryptonews.ru2 days ago 10:41