Learn · 10 Jul 2026

What is the XRP Ledger?

The XRP Ledger, often shortened to XRPL, is a public blockchain launched in 2012, purpose-built for moving value quickly and cheaply.

What makes it different

Most well-known blockchains prioritise flexibility — running arbitrary programs, smart contracts, entire applications on-chain. The XRP Ledger takes a narrower approach: it’s optimised specifically for payments and tokens. That focus is why a transaction settles in three to five seconds, for a fee that’s normally a tiny fraction of a cent.

What runs on it

Beyond XRP, the network’s native asset, the Ledger supports issued currencies — tokens created by any account, backed by whatever that issuer chooses to back them with. RLUSD is one of these: a token issued by Ripple, backed by dollar reserves, moving on XRPL rails.

Trustlines, briefly

To hold an issued currency like RLUSD, a wallet has to explicitly open a trustline to its issuer first. This is a one-time setup step, and it exists so that no one can send you a token you didn’t agree to hold. Once it’s open, receiving that currency is instant.

This is a detail that matters if you’re accepting RLUSD as a merchant: the trustline needs to be open before the first payment arrives, or the payment can’t land directly.