INTRO - Ripple (XRP)

Ripple Labs created the Ripple network and the XRP token in 2012 with the purpose of making cheaper, faster cross-border payments. Ripple was thought of by Jed McCaleb (founder of the Stellar Foundation), Arthur Britto and David Schwartz, and developed from an earlier idea called OpenCoin. 

Ripple’s specific purpose as a settlement system has seen it form multiple partnerships with banks, forming a network that has since been termed as “RippleNet”. Ripple’s extensive collaboration with banks - including cross-border pilot programs - has won favor with financial institutions in several continents, and executives from the company have been known to discuss the implementation of decentralized financial systems with high-level financial industry insiders, like the IMF’s Christine Lagarde. 

Ripple also has close ties to SBI Financial Holdings, a Japanese financial giant that is keen on leveraging the token to improve financial services in Asia. President Yoshitaka Kitao has joined the Ripple Board of Directors. This, along with the extensive efforts to help banks test cross-border payments using Ripple’s technology, has emboldened investors, who believe that Ripple will act as something of a bridge between traditional banking systems and new technologically-empowered systems. 

Ripple’s quicker settlement times compared to Bitcoin (transactions take a few seconds to get validated) and its lack of energy-intensive mining has led some people to say that it is a better means of exchange than Bitcoin itself. Having said this, Ripple is still primarily focused on becoming a new form of SWIFT, one that can assist existing banks and its customers speed up international payments.

INTRO - Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized computing platform founded by Vitalik Buterin, Charles Hoskinson, and many others. Development began in 2014, with the official release occurring in mid-2015. Described by Buterin as a decentralized computing platform, Ethereum is a more wide-ranging application of the Decentralized Ledger Technology pioneered by Bitcoin. 

Ethereum was designed with the intention of having a scripting language for application development, which Bitcoin lacks. Dapps (decentralized apps) are now some of the most intense research and development areas in the digital currency space. As mentioned by Buterin, Ethereum trades some security for versatility, though the development team is working extensively on improving security and scalability. 

Though it does take inspiration from Bitcoin, it differs in many ways. One notable difference is that the consensus mechanism algorithm gives ASICs less of an advantage. Block times range from 10 - 15 seconds as opposed to Bitcoin’s 10 minutes. One notable incident in Ethereum’s history occurred in 2016, when a smart contract flaw resulted in the theft of approximately $50 million worth of Ether. This subsequently resulted in a hard fork, splitting the Ethereum blockchain in Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).

Ethereum itself, like Bitcoin, has inspired many projects, including rival platforms that seek to address the shortcomings of Ethereum. These platforms include EOS and Tron, which at the moment are its two closest competing platforms. Ethereum’s purpose of creating a platform for decentralized applications is its most vaunted aspect, as dapps are widely considered to bring the next era of adoption as specific, well-developed and user friendly crypto-based applications bring legitimacy to digital assets in the wider world.

INTRO - Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin (BTC) is a pioneering digital currency invented by a yet-unknown individual or group of individuals presented as Satoshi Nakamoto. Early development began in 2008, during the financial crisis of 2008, with the landmark paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” being released on October 31, 2008. The primary purpose of Bitcoin is in the space of P2P financial transactions, though some supporters envision it more as a store of value.

Often called “Digital Gold” for its monetary properties which are similar to gold, the enduring popularity and market resilience of Bitcoin has encouraged the growth of other cryptocurrencies, and as a result it has come to be known as the “mother” or “father” of all cryptocurrencies. Initially limited to all but the most ardent technology enthusiasts, Bitcoin was responsible for convincing the masses that a P2P financial system devoid of middlemen and centralized was in fact possible, a characteristic made possible through its Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm which incentivized good behavior.

Since its inception in early 2009, Bitcoin has been through a number of changes and incidents, yet continues to thrive as the most popular token in the cryptocurrency market. This includes the famous Mt. Gox incident and several such cycles of price spikes and drops. The enduring nature of Bitcoin is a quality that is highly cherished by its proponents. Many tokens have been inspired by it, including similarly envisioned token Litecoin (LTC), which is often said to be the silver to Bitcoin’s gold. Because of the popularity and established nature of Bitcoin, it is often the base pair with which other cryptocurrencies are traded.