Since Bitcoin became mainstream, there has been an influx of new cryptocurrencies. In most cases, these cryptocurrencies have little to no tangible use for the public and are nothing more than pump-and-dump schemes for their creators and insiders.
However, a few non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies have gained traction and present real-world use cases, with XRP (XRP 0.21%) being one of them. At the time of writing, XRP's price sits at $2.20. That's up 465% in the past three years, meaning a $1,000 investment made then would be worth around $5,650 today.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what exactly does XRP do?
XRP was created with the goal of making cross-border transactions faster and cheaper. Right now, most cross-border transactions are costly because they involve multiple financial institutions, including local banks and correspondent banks. The cost to send money can be as high as 7% in some cases. By removing intermediaries, XRP can make these transfers virtually instantly for fractions of a cent.
CRYPTO: XRP
Key Data Points
XRP's use case hasn't caught on in the mainstream, but the projected growth of the cross-border payments market has kept optimism high among XRP enthusiasts.
Like any cryptocurrency, XRP's volatility makes it challenging to store value. However, it stands out among cryptocurrencies for its mission and real-world use case.
