Ripple, also known as XRP, was one of the best performing cryptocurrencies in 2017 with growth of around 36,000%! Yes, you read that right. It grew from almost $0 at the beginning of 2017 and reached $2.4 in December 2017 The main reason for Ripple’s popularity is that it is not just a digital currency, but also a payment system. Ripple uses blockchain technology to make international payments securer and faster.