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RE: Our top 7 Crypto gems
The problem with Ripple is that it is centralized. In that case a MySQL database is much faster and cheaper. Ripple builds solutions for banks and financial services but they do not connect them to the global network. It's merely a showroom for whats possible. So yes, Ripple might be the future. No, you don't need XRP to use it. You only need a contract with the Ripple foundation to either run your custom version of the network on their server or hand you over some XRP from their bag of 63 billion outstanding XRP.
My understanding is there are two components: the Ripple protocol and XRP tokens. The tokens assure people using the protocol that their transactions will complete as expected. And Ripple subsidizes the use of XRP by large institutions. So, I understand that you don't need XRP to use the protocol...the big question is whether there's value in holding XRP. If nobody uses the token, it will be useless. If institutions use the token, it will be huge. And, if banks are using XRPs for international finance, international companies will have incentive to hold some XRPs to guarantee low-cost, low-risk payments instantly in any locality without having to use any intermediary.
Sounds like you're well-informed about all of this. I look forward to reading more of your posts.