XRP：是時候投資「OG」山寨幣了嗎？

隨著比特幣價格近期飆升，本月漲幅超過 10%，加密貨幣再次成為頭條新聞。儘管「OG」加密貨幣吸引了大多數媒體的關注，但另一種已經存在了一段時間的代幣 XRP（加密貨幣：XRP）提供了一個獨特的機會。

Bitcoin has seen a recent price surge, up more than 10% this month. But another coin that's been around for some time, XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), presents a unique opportunity.

比特幣近期價格飆升，本月漲幅超過 10%。但另一種已經存在了一段時間的代幣 XRP（加密貨幣：XRP）提供了一個獨特的機會。

XRP is the functional token of the RippleNet payment service. This digital money-transfer network can send money across international borders both quickly and cheaply.

XRP 是 RippleNet 支付服務的功能代幣。這種數位匯款網路可以快速且便宜地跨境匯款。

Currently trading just above $0.50, XRP is well below its all-time high of $2.70. Is now the time to invest?

目前 XRP 的交易價格略高於 0.50 美元，遠低於 2.70 美元的歷史高點。現在是投資的時候嗎？

XRP has a unique value proposition

XRP 具有獨特的價值主張

What makes XRP unique in the world of cryptocurrency is that it is intended to be used by institutions as opposed to the general public. Anyone can buy and use XRP, but its primary use case is to facilitate transactions and payments between banks and other financial institutions.

XRP 在加密貨幣世界中的獨特之處在於它是供機構而不是公眾使用的。任何人都可以購買和使用 XRP，但其主要用例是促進銀行和其他金融機構之間的交易和支付。

It was developed and launched in 2012 by a team of developers hoping to solve the inherent problems in Bitcoin as the developers saw it. These included inefficiencies, slow transaction times, high monetary costs, and environmental impact. XRP is designed to address all of these.

它是由一個開發團隊於 2012 年開發並推出的，希望能夠解決開發人員認為的比特幣的固有問題。其中包括效率低、交易時間緩慢、金錢成本高、環境影響。 XRP 旨在解決所有這些問題。

XRP is fast

瑞波幣速度很快

The main target for XRP, banks, primarily use a settlement network called the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). Sending money between banks domestically or across borders can take days. Bitcoin payments often take 10 minutes or more. XRP transactions, on the other hand, take a few seconds.

XRP 的主要目標是銀行，主要使用名為全球銀行間金融電信協會 (SWIFT) 的結算網路。在國內銀行或跨境銀行之間匯款可能需要數天時間。比特幣支付通常需要 10 分鐘或更長時間。另一方面，XRP 交易需要幾秒鐘的時間。

This is one of the biggest things XRP has going for it.

這是 XRP 最大的優勢之一。

XRP is cheap

瑞波幣很便宜

Bitcoin transaction fees can be as much as $20 or $30 and could be much more depending on market conditions. Normal RippleNet transactions cost a fraction of a cent. For large cross-border payments between banks, RippleNet can cut costs by about 60% versus SWIFT.

比特幣交易費用可能高達 20 美元或 30 美元，根據市場情況可能會更高。正常的 RippleNet 交易成本僅為一美分的一小部分。對於銀行間的大額跨境支付，RippleNet 相對於 SWIFT 可以降低約 60% 的成本。

XRP is scalable

XRP 具有可擴充性

Bitcoin can only process a handful of transactions per second. RippleNet can handle up to 1,500 -- potentially more with further optimization.

比特幣每秒只能處理少量交易。 RippleNet 最多可以處理 1,500 個資料——如果進一步優化，可能會更多。

XRP is sustainable

XRP 是可持續的

Much ink has been spilled on the environmental costs of Bitcoin. The network uses as much power as many countries do in a year. RippleNet uses just 50 households' worth of power a year.

關於比特幣的環境成本已經有許多論述。該網路一年的用電量相當於許多國家的用電量。 RippleNet 每年僅使用 50 個家庭的電力。

It's not all rosy for XRP

XRP 的前景並不樂觀

The cryptocurrency has some issues as well. The world of crypto puts an emphasis on "decentralization" and many find XRP to be far too centralized for their taste. Ripple Labs is the name of the company that grew out of the original development team. The Ripple company is technically independent of the XRP cryptocurrency, but that independence is not absolute -- and many investors still use Ripple as a catch-all name for XRP, RippleNet, and Ripple Labs. It's not hard to see why Ripple (the company) holding nearly $50 billion XRP in escrow could be a concern for investors.

加密貨幣也存在一些問題。加密貨幣世界強調“去中心化”，許多人發現 XRP 過於中心化，不符合他們的口味。 Ripple Labs 是從最初的開發團隊發展而來的公司的名稱。 Ripple 公司在技術上獨立於 XRP 加密貨幣，但這種獨立性並不是絕對的——許多投資者仍然使用 Ripple 作為 XRP、RippleNet 和 Ripple Labs 的總稱。不難看出為什麼 Ripple（該公司）託管著近 500 億美元的 XRP 可能會引起投資者的擔憂。

The fact that Ripple is in a four-year fight with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) makes this relationship even more concerning. The SEC alleged XRP is essentially a security and the company illegally raised funds with it. Although a judge has ruled largely in Ripple's favor, the case is still in limbo as appeals are filed.

Ripple 與美國證券交易委員會 (SEC) 長達四年的鬥爭這一事實使得這種關係更加令人擔憂。美國證券交易委員會指控 XRP 本質上是一種證券，該公司用它非法籌集資金。儘管法官做出了對瑞波有利的裁決，但隨著上訴的進行，該案仍處於懸而未決的狀態。

Furthermore, and this is a biggie, the banks that utilize Ripple's payment network do so without needing to utilize the coin itself. This undercuts the main value proposition XRP has. The promise of widespread use by the banking system and the ensuing spike in demand seems unlikely at this point.

此外，這是一個大問題，使用瑞波幣支付網路的銀行不需要使用瑞波幣本身。這削弱了 XRP 的主要價值主張。目前，銀行體系廣泛使用的承諾以及隨之而來的需求激增似乎不太可能實現。

The verdict

判決結果

In my view, there are better alternatives. XRP does deliver on speed and efficiency, but it is not the only cryptocurrency to do so. It seems clear at this point that although Ripple has found success in the Banking community, that hasn't translated to more use of the coin. I think there are better investments out there, including Bitcoin. Even under $0.60, I would choose to put my money elsewhere.

在我看來，還有更好的選擇。 XRP 確實提供了速度和效率，但它並不是唯一能做到這一點的加密貨幣。目前看來很明顯，儘管瑞波幣在銀行界取得了成功，但這並沒有轉化為該幣的更多使用。我認為還有更好的投資，包括比特幣。即使低於 0.60 美元，我也會選擇把錢放在其他地方。