How to Buy Ripple (XRP) Cryptocurrency

In the quickly changing world of cryptocurrencies, Ripple has already made a name for itself. What is interesting about Ripple, though, and what leads some financial institutions and analysts to predict a strong future for this network, is the fact that Ripple is designed to increase the global liquidity of money by allowing transfers around the world to take place at record speeds and for very little in terms of fees.

Perhaps the innovative technology behind these achievements is what has prompted Ripple to gain 4,300% in value in year-to-date as of December 12, 2017. So how does one go about buying Ripple? Like other cryptocurrencies, Ripple is available on several different exchanges. According to the Ripple website, here is how to go about purchasing XRP, Ripple's cryptocurrency token, through some of those exchanges.

*Note: Ripple is just one piece of a rapidly growing cryptocurrency ecosphere. Get up to speed on the history of cryptocurrency, how cryptos like Bitcoin, Ripple and Litecoin really work, and how to evaluate an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) with Investopedia Academy's Cryptocurrency for Beginners course. Check it out today.

Bitstamp provides XRP/EUR, XRP/USD, and XRP/BTC trading pairs. To buy XRP on this exchange, you'll first need to create and verify an account with Bitstamp. Visit the Bitstamp website to open an account, and follow instructions to confirm your registered email address. Once the account is active, log in and follow further instructions to secure and verify the account.

Next, you'll need to deposit funds within the main page of the account, using the "Deposit" link. Once the funds have been credited to your Bitstamp account, you'll get a notification from the exchange. You can then purchase XRP on Bitstamp by selecting the correct market for your currency and completing an order in the main account.

Kraken is another cryptocurrency exchange that you can use to buy XRP. In order to do so, visit the Kraken page to sign up for an account. Follow verification instructions and log in. Next, deposit funds into your account. In order to buy XRP on Kraken, you have to first buy XBT. Place an order to buy XBT, and then place another order using the XRP/XBT currency pair. This will allow you to complete your transaction for XRP.

As with the other exchanges on this list, to buy XRP with GateHub you'll first need to visit the GateHub website and sign up for an account. Store your recovery key and verify your account, confirming via email as instructed. Next, sign in and be prepared to verify your identity before being able to conduct transactions. You'll then need to connect a gateway in order to be able to deposit funds. Once you've deposited funds, you'll be able to buy XRP on the "Exchange" page.

There are many other exchanges which also provide access to XRP as well. If you use CoinOne, Bitso, Coincheck, Korbit, Bitbank, Qryptos, BTCXIndia, or Bitsane, you are also in luck.