The XRP Ledger launched as an open, validator-run network designed for high-throughput value transfer. Consensus replaces proof-of-work, so settlement is cheap and fast. Native features — issued assets, a built-in order book, and escrow — were in the protocol from the start. This is the trench every later product sits on: without a live ledger, Ripple has no rail.
Why it matters
Every corridor, ETF, stablecoin, and bank charter is downstream of a ledger that already settles in seconds.
Connected cables
