The importance of liquidity has been stressed many times over by Ripple executives and the XRP community. An important step to greater liquidity is adoption and utility. With XRP added on more exchanges, platforms and apps, it is slowly but steadily becoming a part of people’s lives. I am not much of a talker but as we all know: “Actions speak louder than words”. This past quarter there certainly was a lot of action for XRP and Ripple.
Flashback:
October 1, 2018
• Ripple makes xRapid commercially available and moves into production with MercuryFX, Cuallix and Catalyst Corporate Credit Union.
• RAKBANK announces money transfer services to Sri Lanka via Ripple.
October 2, 2018
• Crumbs app allows users to buy XRP with USD on their phones.
October 3, 2018
• XRP added on crypto.com wallet and card app.
October 4, 2018
• SBI launches Money Tap, a Ripple powered payments app for domestic payments in Japan.
October 8, 2018
• XRP added on Satowallet multi-asset exchange to trade, store, invest, stake and secure.
October 10, 2018
• Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin adds XRP trading with BRL (Brazilian real) pair.
• Biztranex, an exchange based in Malta, lists XRP with BTC, ETH and USDT pairs.
October 15, 2018
• MoneyNetInt, a UK-based payment service provider for online merchants, joins RippleNet.
• MoneyMatch, a Malaysian Fintech Startup conducted the first ever live cross border transaction out from Malaysia on blockchain, by using Ripple's software.
• Alphacat, a robo-advisor marketplace for traders added XRP on its ACAT store.
October 17, 2018
• Flutterwave, a payment provider, joined Ripplenet for Africa payments.
• EnterBillions announces a marketplace built on social tipping and specifically on Wietse's XRPTipBot.
• Omni, a rental platform that is supported by Xpring, introduced XRP cash outs.
• Nexo, a crypto-backed loan platform, added XRP support.
October 19, 2018
• Bitvo, a Canadian crypto exchange, added XRP with CAD (Canadian Dollar) pair.
• A document is released by SADAD, a payment provider in Saudi Arabia, that reveals that they are an xRapid partner. Since then the document has been removed, possibly due to an NDA.
• Cobinhood exchange lists XRP with BTC and USDT pairs.
October 22, 2018
• ComBank (also known as Commercial Bank of Ceylon), a bank based in Sri Lanka, joins Ripplenet.
• Changelly exchange adds XRP with USD pair.
• Artis Turba, a South African exchange, adds XRP as a base currency on its exchange. Besides ZAR (South African rand), ARTIS, BTC, ETH and TRX pairs added with XRP.
October 23, 2018
• XRP United takes the XRPcommunity by storm with its launch video. Adds XRP as its base currency with BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC and XLM pairs.
• CoinDCX, an Indian exchange, adds XRP trading with INR pair (Indian rupee). Two months later it makes XRP a base currency (December 24th).
• DCEX, a long awaited XRP based exchange, finally goes live with XRP as a base currency. BTC, LTC, ETH, BCH, BTG, ETC, OMG, EOS, DASH, TRX, XMR, VEN, IOTA, ZEC, TUSD, all paired to XRP.
October 25, 2018
• Amore Finance, a startup in the Czech Republic, joins Ripplenet.
• OmniTrade, a Brazilian crypto exchange, lists XRP with BRL, BTC and ETH pairs.
• XRPTipBot app is released.
October 26, 2018
• Yobit exchange lists XRP with RUB (Russian ruble), USD, ETH, BTC, DOGE and WAVES pairs.
October 29, 2018
• XRP holders can now send and receive XRP via SMS.
October 30, 2018
• Turkish exchange Felixo launches with XRP support from the beginning. Offers BTC pair.
• IDAX, a Mongolian exchange, adds XRP with ETH pair. It later adds a USDT pair.
• CMC Markets, a leading global provider of online trading, expands its cryptocurrency spread betting and contracts for difference (CFDs) offering to include three additional coins, XRP is one of them.
• Lykke, a Swiss-based blockchain-powered exchange, adds XRP with USD and BTC pairs. It later adds CHF (Swiss franc) and ETH pairs.
November 1, 2018
• Hotbit exchange adds XRP with BTC and ETH pairs.
• Bittrex, one of the official xRapid exchanges, launches Bittrex International. Offers USD, BTC, ETH and USDT pairs.
November 2, 2018
• Coinfield, a Canadian exchange, makes XRP its base currency across 61 countries (currently 101 countries) with 20 pairs (now 25).
November 4, 2018
• Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) extends its work with Ripple to create a payments network throughout Southeast Asia.
• SendFriend, an Xpring funded money transfer company, announces that it will leverage xRapid for money transfers from the United States to the Philippines.
November 5, 2018
• Advanced Cash, an e-currency and e-payment platform, adds XRP support.
November 6, 2018
• Liteforex, a forex broker, adds XRP trading.
• Tokocrypto, an Indonesian exchange adds XRP with IDR (Indonesian rupiah) pair.
• Coinzo, a Turkish exchange, goes live. Includes XRP with TRY (Turkish lira) and BTC pairs.
• Blockport, a social cyptocurrency exchange based in Amsterdam, adds XRP with USD and EUR pairs.
• Atomic Wallet, a Universal Multi-Asset Wallet with a Decentralized Atomic Swap Exchange, adds XRP support.
• Okex, a digital asset exchange based in Malta, lists XRP with BTC pair.
November 7, 2018
• Trezor's new wallet Model T supports XRP.
• BCB group granted a Swiss-backed regulatory approval as a financial intermediary for its cryptocurrency prime brokerage service that supports XRP.
• Hong Kong based exchange XDAEX adds XRP with BTC and USDC pairs.
• Spend, a Canadian Multi-Currency Digital Wallet that allows you to spend and manage your money adds XRP support.
November 8, 2018
• Cred, a leading provider of crypto-backed lending with over $300 million in credit facilities, announced that it provides USD loans, collateralized by XRP.
• GDAC, a South Korean exchange, lists XRP with KRW (South Korean won) pair.
November 9, 2018
• XRParrot, an XRP Fiat-to-Crypto Platform that works without a Crypto Exchange, launches its Beta version.
• Banco Bradesco joins Ripplenet and partners with MUFG for international currency transfers via Ripple platform.
November 12, 2018
• CIMB Group joins RippleNet to power instant payments across ASEAN.
• Evident Proof, a data verification, provenance and proof service, now accepts XRP to be exchanged for the native EPT token, used to pay for platform fees, and view/access proof certificates.
November 14, 2018
• New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) gets New York Bitlicense and is expressly authorized to offer defined services to operate as a custodian for virtual currencies, including XRP.
• Mint, an institutional-grade venue built on an Integral FX platform, officially opens trading as a crypto clearinghouse providing access to major exchanges, brokers and market makers through a single gateway. Includes XRP.
• Tok.com, an exchange based in Thailand, launches XRP with BTC pair.
November 16, 2018
• Novadax, a Brazilian exchange, adds XRP trading with BRL pair.
• One more Brazilian exchange, FlowBTC, also lists XRP with BRP pair.
• Poloniex adds XRP/USDC pair.
November 19, 2018
• Gate.io, an exchange already offering XRP trading, adds XRP/CNYX pair.
• Ex.Land, an exchange based in Hong Kong, lists XRP with USDT pair.
November 21, 2018
• An exchange based in Thailand, Bitkub, opens XRP trading with THB (Thai baht) pair.
November 22, 2018
• Bit-Z, a crypto exchange based in Hong Kong, lists XRP with USDT pair.
• Switzerland approved cryptocurrency ETP Amun Crypto Basket Index (HODL) began trading. 25.4% of the basket is invested in XRP.
November 24, 2018
• Anypay, a platform that allows merchants accept payments on crypto, now supports XRP.
November 26, 2018
• GetFIFO, an English exchange, adds XRP/GBP (Pound Sterling) trading.
• BitSettle, a newly launched platform to sell cryptocurrencies in real-time for fiat money, supports XRP.
• Securitize, a compliance platform and protocol for issuing and managing digital securities on the blockchain, raises $12.75 million from investors that include Ripple’s Xpring fund and Coinbase Ventures.
• Coincheck, the Japanese exchange that was hacked in early 2018, resumes XRP trading.
• 58Coin, a one-stop blockchain service platform with branch offices in Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, etc, has added XRP on its OTC trading.
November 27, 2018
• Skrill, a London based payment platform that also trades cryptocurrencies adds XRP.
• A newly launched exchange, XT.com, lists XRP with BTC pair.
• Binance adds PAX pair for XRP.
• XRP added on LocalCoinSwap, a P2P platform.
November 28, 2018
• Bit Trade, an Australian blockchain asset investment and portfolio management platform, has added XRP trading.
November 29, 2018
• XRP added on xCryptoCrash as a gambling coin.
November 30, 2018
• Huobi, a Singapore based exchange, adds XRP with HUSD pair. HUSD is a stable currency solution integrated from four US dollar base price stable currencies = PAX, TUSD, USDC and GUSD, and can be converted freely at a 1:1 rate between the four tokens.
December 3, 2018
• SpotOn, a payment processing services company, announced that its merchants will soon be able to process transactions using cryptocurrency, including XRP, through its new partnership with Vaultbank.
• KuCoin, a Singapore-based global cryptocurrency exchange, adds XRP with BTC, USDT, ETH, PAX, TUSD, USDC, KCS and NEO pairs.
December 4, 2018
• Enlte, an exchange based in Estonia, adds XRP with BTC, ETH and TUSD pairs.
• Neteller, a company that lets you pay or play online, send and receive money and make fast, secure online payments whenever you need to, supports XRP.
December 5, 2018
• BitcoinIRA, a platform that allows customers to buy cryptocurrencies for their retirement accounts, has launched the first self-trading platform for retirement accounts, called the BitcoinIRA.com Self-Trader. XRP is supported.
• YouHodler, a Blockchain-based Financial Ecosystem focused on cryptocurrency backed lending with fiat loans based in Cyprus, offers EUR and USD loans by collateral in BTC, XRP, ETH and LTC. On December 5th it has also joined the Blockchain Association. Blockchain Association member firms provide their current and future customers with the opportunity for any issues that arise from transacting in digital currencies to be examined and reviewed by the Blockchain Expert Committee. By doing so, the Association members contribute to a new self-regulatory process, previously not offered by regulators or other self-regulatory organizations, to resolve issues for their customers.
• HodlHodl P2P cryptocurrency exchange adds Crypto-to-crypto trading pairs. XRP supported with BTC and LTC pairs.
• R3 launches universal Settler application to facilitate global payments on Corda. XRP is the first settlement mechanism supported by the blockchain solution.
December 6, 2018
• GMT-Advanced Financial Services, Israel’s largest and leading financial services company, was chosen to be Ripple’s representative in Israel.
• Estonian exchange Bibox adds XRP with BTC and ETH pairs.
December 7, 2018
• PayKassa, a service that helps businesses instantly accept payments on their website and make bulk payments through many payment systems, supports XRP amongst other cryptocurrencies.
• NuMoney, a cryptocurrency exchange and OTC based in Singapore, adds XRP with Singapore dollar (SGD), Malaysia ringgit (MYR) and Indonesia Rupiah (IDR) pairs.
• Paycent, a financial platform that aims to deliver a seamless payment process for customers and merchants alike across countries, adds XRP.
• Binance adds XRP TUSD pair.
December 8, 2018
• Australian Company Helio Lending issues loans backed by Cryptocurrencies. Accepts four major cryptocurrencies as collateral on its platform. XRP included.
• Biztranex exchange adds XRP/BTN pair.
• XRP OTC trading made available on CoinCola, an OTC cryptocurrency marketplace and exchange based in Hong Kong.
December 10, 2018
• XRP added on Dipbit exchange, with BTC and USDT trading pairs.
• XRP added on Epiphany, an exchange based in California, USA with USDT pair.
• BTCexchange, an exchange based in Malta, offers XRP/BTC trading pair.
December 11, 2018
• Ainslie Bullion, one of Australia's leading bullion dealers, since 1974, is now also trading in Crypto. BTC, ETH and XRP trading in USD.
• Currencies Direct, a money transfer company, opens a new real-time cross-border remittance corridor to India using Ripple's xCurrent payment protocol.
• NuEx, an exchange that includes XRP as a base currency, adds 6 more pairs based to XRP (DAR, GVT, MER, SPRTSC, WAVES, ZIL).
• Coinone Transfer, a payments business and a subsidiary of Coinone, introduced South Korea’s first blockchain-powered remittance mobile app and web service called Cross, offering faster, lower cost payments to Thailand and the Philippines. The app is powered by Ripple.
December 12, 2018
• MVIS and ITI Funds launch the ITI Funds Crypto Index. A digital asset Index with a capped basket for broad diversification. XRP is the top componenent with 19.37% and also the best performing asset on a 1year basis.
December 13, 2018
• Turkish Bank Akbank begins offering money transfers to Banco Santander in the UK via Ripple with Blockchain infrastructure.
• Tokens exchange adds XRP with BTC and USDT pairs.
• Zebpay, formerly one of India’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, launches in Europe. Euro deposits, withdrawals, and trading are now live in 21 countries. XRP is supported with BTC pair.
• Travala.com, a next-gen online travel agence, allows customers to book 550,000+ hotels, travel to 82,000+ destinations in 210 countries using XRP along with other cryptocurrencies.
• Coss.io, an exchange based in Singapore, not only lists XRP but makes it a base currency as well. Offers USDT, TUSD, OMG, NEO, LTC, LSK, EOS, DASH, ARK, BTC, ETH, USDC, GUSD trading pairs.
• Livecoin exchange adds XRP with BTC, ETH, USD and RUB pairs.
December 14, 2018
• Binance adds USDC market. XRP/USDC pair included.
December 15, 2018
• EO.Finance, a European licensed Crypto and Fiat wallet, adds XRP support. Users can now buy, transfer and exchange XRP to other cryptocurrencies.
December 18, 2018
• Coinfield adds more XRP based pairs. XLM, DGB and UDSC. It also expands to 40 more countries to make it 101.
December 19, 2018
• Michael Rizzo, a computer science major in the Stony Brook University Department of Computer Science, and his team won the HackHarvard 2018 award for Best Interledger Protocol APIthe with the Steppr app they developed . This interactive app incentivizes users to walk by rewarding them real money for every step taken. The software program operates by linking Fitbit API and integrating Ripple’s InterLedger Protocol to transfer payments instantly to user accounts.
December 20, 2018
• Crypto Bulls Exchange, an exchange based in Dubai, lists XRP with BTC pair. Soon it will also add AED fiat pair.
December 21, 2018
• CryptoBridge decentralized exchange adds XRP with BTC and ETH pairs.
• Einstein exchange adds XRP/BCH trading pair.
• Cebuana Lhuillier, the largest microfinancial institution in the Philippines, to use RippleNet’s blockchain technology for faster, more secure money transfer services.
December 23, 2018
• Coinzark, an exchange based in London, adds XRP support. You can swap XRP for 17 other cryptocurrencies.
December 24, 2018
• Binance makes XRP a base currency and starts by adding two pairs. TRX/XRP and XZC/XRP.
• Newly launced Indian exchange CoinDCX also makes XRP a base currency with the same pairs as Binance.
• Australian exchange BTCexa becomes the third exchange in a day to make XRP a base currency. Adds XRP with XLM and ADA pairs.
December 26, 2018
• The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launches NBK Direct Remit, an Online Banking service using RippleNet’s Blockchain technology. NBK Direct Remit is currently available for Jordan.
December 27, 2018
• XRP listed on Canadian exchange CCX with CAD (Canadian dollar) pair.
December 28, 2018
• BitexUAE, an exchange based in Dubai, adds XRP trading with AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham).
• XRP/BTC and XRP/USDT trading added on Biger exchange.
• Probit exchange adds XRP/USDT trading.
December 29, 2018
• BigONE exchange adds XRP/BTC and XRP/USDT trading.
• HostBlockio, a web hosting provider, now accepts XRP.
129 news items (average 1.38 per day)
By month:
• October: 33
• November: 46
• December: 50
By day:
• Monday: 28
• Tuesday: 25
• Wednesday: 23
• Thursday: 21
• Friday: 22
• Saturday: 7
• Sunday: 3
By type:
• Exchanges: 74
• Ripplenet: 16
• xRapid: 2
• OTC platforms: 2
• Apps: 4
• Wallets: 6
• Online travel platform: 1
• Crypto fund: 2
• Crypto backed loans: 4
• Payment provider: 7
• Gambling site: 1
• IRA platform: 1
• Securities platform: 1
• Crypto custody: 2
• Data verification service: 1
• SMS service: 1
• Rental platform: 1
• Marketplace: 2
• Web hosting: 1
Exchanges added XRP as base pair: 9
New fiat listings: 36
• 11: USD
• 4: BRL, EUR
• 2: IDR, CAD, RUB
• 1: AED, CHF, SGD, MYR, JPY, GBP, THB, KRW, TRY, INR, ZAR
Total new crypto to crypto pairs: 161
Surely the sheer amount of exchanges that have listed XRP or added more XRP pairs during this quarter is staggering. Almost 1 exchange per day added XRP support during this quarter, with 9 exchanges choosing to make XRP a base currency on their exchange. I expect this trend to continue in the coming months, especially if XRP continues to be the #2 cryptocurrency by market cap. Moreover, with more companies going live on xRapid, more xRapid exchange partners are bound to pop-up (currently Bitso, Bittrex, coins.ph, Bitstamp and SBIVC). Already Quidax and Bitrue already announced their interest.
XRP is steadily becoming an option on more and more platforms that use cryptocurrencies. This quarter we have seen XRP being added to a rental platform, an online travel platform, a few marketplaces, payment provider platforms and a data verification service. Platforms that assist merchants accept cryptocurrencies will surely have an effect on crypto adoption. This quarter we have also seen quite a few platforms that offer crypto-backed loans support XRP.
New Ripplenet members: 9
The Ripplenet ecosystem grew by 9 new members that have been publicized. An important milestone this quarter was the official release of xRapid with a total of 7 companies publicly stating that they are or will commercially use xRapid and XRP: Catalyst Corporate Credit Union, Cuallix, MercuryFX, SADAD, IDT, Viamericas, SendFriend and SBI Remit. With banks being somewhat sceptical to use digital assets and legislation still trying to catch up, non-bank companies will make the "plunge" into xRapid easier. I expect more of the companies mentioned in the picture below (which is not an official document) to start going live with xRapid in the next few months.
The launch of R3's Corda Settler more than doubled the potential of institutions to use XRP, since more than 200 institutions are part of the Corda ecosystem. At the same time, we have witnessed quite a few community backed projects that use XRP getting launched. With Xpring going into full throttle, the anticipation of things to come in the near future is exciting.
XRP Network
A couple of more milestones achieved during this quarter was the XRP Network reaching 1000 nodes in the beginning of December, while Ripple's "dominance" of the Network has dropped from 40% in September to 27% at the time of writing.
The XRP circulating supply has also seen a great increase in the past three months. From 39,809,069,106 on September 16th it increased to 40,794,121,066 on December 16th. That is an increase of almost 1 billion XRP in 3 months. Just to put things in perspective, the increase of circulating supply from 38,8 billion XRP to 39,8 took 9 months... In the same three month period (September 16th - December 16th) the total XRP supply was reduced by 102,619 XRP, roughly the same amount as the previous three month period (102,801). With more institutional players coming into the game and XRP being used for cross border remittances, it only makes sense that the circulating supply will increase and the total supply will start to get burnt at a faster rate.
Legal - regulation
2018 was a year with many legal developments in relation to Ripple and XRP. R3 and Ripple settled in September, Coffey dropped his lawsuit in August after his motion to remand the case back to state court was denied and Zakinov, Oconer and Greenwald cases not only got related into one case but were also moved to Federal Court. The XRP community will be eagerly awaiting a decision on the plaintiffs motion to remand back to state that is expected in the next few months and what effect it will have on the case.
At the same time, Ripple is taking an active role towards the regulation of the crypto space. We have seen Ripple become a founding member of SAIV (an organization focused on educating and working with policy makers) and Blockchain for Europe, a member of BAFT (a leading international transaction banking association, providing advocacy, thought leadership, education and training, and a global forum for its members in the areas of trade finance, payments, compliance, and regulations) and even having direct discussions with the Trump administration.
Coming up...
Despite the holiday season, during December there were more exchanges listing XRP/adding more pairs and at the same more news items than the previous months. It will be interesting to see if the increase will continue in January. Quite a few exchanges that will list XRP are expected to go live in January: DX.Exchange, Bitrue will add more XRP based pairs, Efin, Good exchange, and Bison App (developed by Sowa Labs, a wholly-owned fintech subsidiary of Börse Stuttgart, the second largest stock exchange in Germany), while CoinZoom and the Scandinavian Cryptocurrency Exchange (SCCEX) are expected to go live in Q1 2019. At the same time, Woori Bank and UAE exchange are expected to go live with Ripplenet for money transfers. BAKKT is yet to confirm whether it will list XRP but the crypto community is eagerly awaiting for its launch.
Looking back at 2018 and especially the last quarter, there has been a lot of action on a daily basis. Following XRP never has any dull moments and when you take a good look, it seems like dominos being carefully set-up. What will cause the first domino to fall, remains to be seen.
