Key Points
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Solana and XRP run on two of the strongest technical blockchain networks among the major cryptocurrencies.
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XRP is linked to Ripple, which helps institutional clients offer better payment capabilities.
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Solana has become a major network for stablecoins.
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After struggling for most of the year, crypto has rebounded in recent months and drawn renewed interest, as investors look for oversold cryptocurrencies that could surge in another crypto bull market.
Many of the largest cryptocurrencies have pared a majority of their losses this year. Two of the more intriguing cryptocurrencies from a technical perspective are XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), both of which run on blockchain networks capable of processing many transactions per second.
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Which is the better buy?
XRP: Leveraging Ripple to build an ecosystem
XRP is the fifth-largest cryptocurrency in the world, with a market cap of nearly $82 billion. XRP is also one of the older cryptocurrencies, launching in 2012.
In crypto’s early days, the XRP Ledger, or the token’s network, was viewed as one of the stronger technical networks because it could process more transactions per second (TPS) than most blockchain networks.
XRP uses a unique set of trusted validators to confirm transactions. While critics argue that this method makes the network less decentralized because fewer nodes vote to approve transactions, the network can process more TPS. XRP can supposedly natively scale to 1,500 TPS.
One of the more compelling parts of XRP’s story is Ripple, a company that leverages the XRP Ledger to give companies faster payment settlement and custody solutions, among other services. Ripple has also developed a U.S. dollar stablecoin called RLUSD. Ripple was initially founded by some of the creators of XRP.
Ripple’s solutions enable companies to accept stablecoin and fiat currency payments globally, and send global payments in minutes.
Ripple is also winning deals. For instance, Cross River Bank recently signed a deal with Ripple to integrate the XRP Ledger and RLUSD into its core banking infrastructure, providing faster payment capabilities for customers.
Furthermore, a Ripple-backed company called Evernorth, an XRP-treasury company, went public through a special purpose acquisition company earlier this month, meaning it’s mainly in the business of buying and holding XRP as a balance sheet asset.
Some question how the progression of Ripple and RLUSD will actually benefit XRP’s price. All of these new deals are likely to increase activity on the XRP Ledger, which could boost XRP demand, potentially as a bridge currency. But it’s also possible that customers and users will just use RLUSD, so it is a fair question to ask.
Solana: The fast major blockchain network
While there are plenty of competitors out there, Solana operates the fastest blockchain among the major networks. It’s currently the seventh-largest token by market cap, at $61 billion.
Solana’s network operates on a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, meaning investors can stake tokens to have the opportunity to validate transactions and earn rewards.
Additionally, Solana pairs its proof-of-stake consensus with proof of history, a cryptographic clock that assigns a time stamp to transactions. This reduces a bottleneck many blockchains face, where validators must communicate to agree on when transactions occurred.
This is why Solana’s network is so fast. It can currently process thousands of TPS, but it has surpassed 100,000 TPS during a network stress test.
It’s in a somewhat similar boat to XRP, signing deals with customers, particularly among major payment networks. Visa, Western Union, and Fiserv have all either launched or migrated existing stablecoins on Solana’s network, demonstrating real-world utility.
In fact, Solana’s network ranks among the top three for stablecoin activity, with more than $16 billion in circulating supply and roughly $500 billion in 30-day transfer volume, as of last year.
Which is the better buy?
Given that each token operates on a network with strong technical capabilities, I don’t think either one is a bad buy, and I don’t generally recommend buying too many cryptocurrencies.
However, I’d give the edge to Solana because its network sees more activity and overall usage than XRP. Furthermore, it appears to be able to process more TPS and has an edge in stablecoins as well.
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Bram Berkowitz has positions in XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Solana, Visa, and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
