Ripple is one of the most intriguing cryptocurrencies in terms of its diversion from several crypto-norms, being a much more centralized cryptocurrency in a very decentralized space. Ripple is built atop the idea of a distributed ledger network which requires various parties to participate in validating transactions but, unlike other cryptocurrencies, XRP transfers are effectively immediate, requiring no typical confirmation time.

Ripple was originally founded by a single company, Ripple Labs, back in 2012 and continues to be backed by it, rather than the larger network of developers that continue bitcoin's development. It also doesn't have a fluctuating amount of its currency in existence. Ripple's token, XRP, isn't mined like many other cryptocurrencies. Instead, it was issued at its inception, similar in fashion to the way a company issues stocks when it incorporates: It essentially just picked a number (100 billion) and issued that many XRP coins.