What Is XRP?
XRP is the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), an open-source layer-1 blockchain launched in 2012 by David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Arthur Britto. XRP is designed for fast, low-cost cross-border payments and value transfer: transactions settle in 3-5 seconds with fees of just 0.00001 XRP (around $0.0001) per transaction. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, the XRP Ledger uses a unique consensus protocol instead of energy-intensive mining or staking, and it includes a native decentralized exchange built directly into the protocol - so XRP and other XRPL-issued tokens can be traded on-ledger without third-party smart contracts. The protocol is maintained as open-source by an independent community alongside the XRP Ledger Foundation.
Requirements for XRP Wallet
The XRP Ledger requires every active wallet to hold a small amount of XRP as a base reserve. This reserve is locked on the account to prevent spam and is not a fee - it stays with the wallet as long as the account exists. The current network requirements (lowered by validator vote in December 2024) are:
- Base reserve: 1 XRP per account (down from 10 XRP)
- Owner reserve: 0.2 XRP per object (down from 2 XRP)
The owner reserve increases for each object your account holds on the ledger - the most common ones are trust lines (needed to hold non-XRP tokens like USDC or RLUSD), offers on the native DEX, NFT offers, and escrows. You can fund your XRP wallet by buying XRP in-app, withdrawing from an exchange, or receiving from another wallet. When sending XRP to a centralized exchange, always include the destination tag the exchange provides - sending without it can result in lost or unrecoverable funds.
What Makes XRP Unique?
The XRP Ledger is one of the fastest and cheapest public blockchains in operation. Transactions settle in 3-5 seconds, the network sustains around 1,500 transactions per second, and standard transaction fees are roughly $0.0001 - paid by burning XRP rather than paying it to validators. For comparison, Bitcoin transactions can take an hour or more to confirm and Ethereum transactions several minutes, often with fees orders of magnitude higher. The XRPL also has a built-in decentralized exchange at the protocol level, which lets users trade XRP and any XRPL-issued token without leaving the ledger - a design choice you won't find on most other layer-1 networks.
XRP Wallet Features in Gem Wallet
- Listed on xrpl.org: Gem Wallet's mobile app is featured on xrpl.org, the official XRP Ledger website maintained by the XRPL community and the XRP Ledger Foundation.
- Full XRP Asset Support: Hold XRP alongside major XRP tokens such as USDC, USDT, and RLUSD - manage all your XRPL assets in one wallet, with live prices and full transaction history. For a deeper look at XRPL tokens see our XRPL token wallet page.
- Destination Tag Support: Gem Wallet shows the destination tag field whenever you send XRP, so you can safely deposit to centralized exchanges that require a tag - no risk of stuck transfers from a forgotten tag.
- Cross-Chain Swaps: Swap XRP into BTC, ETH, SOL, USDC, and dozens of other assets directly from the wallet through our DEX aggregator powered by NEAR Intents and THORChain - no centralized exchange or bridge account needed.
- Adjustable Transaction Speed: Choose Slow, Normal, or Fast for every XRP transaction - Gem Wallet adjusts the network fee accordingly so transfers still go through quickly when the XRPL is under heavy load.
- Buy XRP Easily: Purchase XRP with your card in just a few clicks - fund your first XRP wallet in minutes.
- Mobile-Ready: A fast XRP wallet app for Android, iOS, and APK, so you can manage XRP and XRP tokens on the go.
Download your XRP wallet app with Gem Wallet today and use one of the best XRP wallet experiences for fast, low-cost on-chain payments and cross-chain swaps - all with full self-custodial control on mobile.











