The XRP Ledger (XRPL) is a decentralized public blockchain optimized for fast, low-cost payments. Launched in 2012, it uses a unique federated Byzantine Agreement (fBA) consensus protocol that achieves transaction finality in 3–5 seconds without mining or staking.
XRPL validators reach consensus by requiring 80% agreement across each node's Unique Node List (UNL). This approach enables 1,500 transactions per second with full ledger finality — no reorgs, no reversals, no waiting for confirmations.
As of 2026, approximately 57 billion XRP are in circulation. No new XRP can ever be minted — the total supply is permanently capped at 100 billion, with burned fees gradually reducing this ceiling over time.
Key XRPL Technical Specifications
- Transaction finality: 3–5 seconds — irreversible once confirmed
- Throughput: 1,500 transactions per second on the base layer
- Transaction fee: 0.00001 XRP (10 drops) per standard payment
- Consensus mechanism: Federated Byzantine Agreement — no mining required
- Built-in DEX: Fully on-chain decentralized exchange with order books
- Issued currencies: Support for stablecoins and tokenized assets
The XRPL's combination of speed, low cost, and energy efficiency positions it as infrastructure-grade blockchain technology for global payments.