Cryptocurrencies have been in the public eye for years now, mostly because of news around bitcoin. However, bitcoin is just one cryptocurrency among many. You can invest in myriad digital currencies designed for just as many different purposes — from supporting your favorite internet creators to paying your cell phone bill.

See: 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

Ripple’s XRP is one of the more complicated cryptocurrencies to follow. Since the company launched it in 2012, XRP has gone through a few different iterations.

What Is Ripple?

Ripple is not a cryptocurrency. It’s the company behind the XRP token. Ripple Labs Inc. describes itself as a “payment solutions company.” Today, it is primarily focused on facilitating cross-border cryptocurrency payments and cryptocurrency liquidity, and on implementing a central bank digital currency that meets central banks’ security standards.

Ripple operates the payment network RippleNet. That network consists of a collection of banks and payment providers that have signed on to use Ripple’s blockchain network for international payments.

Ripple also manages the XRP Ledger, a network that facilitates payments through its XRP digital currency.

What Is XRP?

XRP is a cryptocurrency designed to be used for international payments and currency exchange. When Ripple first launched, XRP powered its cross-border payment network. Ripple has since updated this so that you can use the network with currencies other than…