Ripple Trading Platforms

Written by Zornitsa Stefanova

Zornitsa Stefanova

Zornitsa Stefanova is experienced forex and crypto analyst. She also covers various financial topics such as stocks trading and retirement investments.

, | Updated: December 2, 2024

Ripple, abbreviated XRP, is one of the altcoins that enjoy higher trading volumes and has a market cap worth $33.26 billion on the heels of USDC and Solana. Traders can tap into the Ripple market either by speculating on its price movements with CFDs or by buying and selling it on the spot on different crypto exchanges. No matter how you prefer to trade Ripple, we have made sure to cover a few of the best retail CFD brokers and top-class exchanges that offer outstanding XRP trading conditions.

1FP Markets

Rating: 4.7 ⭐

73.85% of retail investor accounts lose money

Top Rated

2Pepperstone

Rating: 4.6 ⭐

75.5% of retail investor accounts lose money

3IC Markets

Rating: 4.5 ⭐

70.64% of retail investor accounts lose money

4Global Prime

Rating: 4.5 ⭐

74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money

5eToro

Rating: 4.2 ⭐

51% of retail investor accounts lose money

Best Platforms for Ripple Speculative Trading

1. TRADE NOW READ REVIEW
   1. IC Markets

   If short-term crypto trading is your preferred way to invest in Ripple, you may opt for CFDs on XRP. At IC Markets, you will have the option to trade various popular cryptocurrencies, including Ripple. You can take both long and short positions, allowing you to gain profit from any type of price movement. Leverage trading is also allowed, giving Ripple traders access to leverage of up to 1:2. IC Markets allows its customers to trade Ripple against the US dollar, with an average spread of 0.01 pips. The value of trading is further reduced as customers do not pay fees when funding their accounts and the trades incur no commission on behalf of the broker.

   CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70.64% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
2. TRADE NOW READ REVIEW
   2. FP Markets

   Operating since 2005, FP Markets is one of the biggest names in online trading, offering its customers the chance to trade CFDs across multiple markets, including cryptocurrencies. You can trade CFDs on Ripple against the US dollar, with the average spread being 0.0007. FP Markets clients can open a Standard or Raw account, with significantly lower spreads for the latter and a standard $0 commission of $3 per side per lot. However, crypto traders will pay zero commission no matter the account type they have opened, as XRP/USD trading costs are built into the spread.

   CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 72.92% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
3. TRADE NOW READ REVIEW
   3. eToro

   Ripple investment is extremely accessible for eToro clients, who have several different options for their trades. One can directly buy and sell the crypto assets and gain actual ownership of XRP tokens. For those who prefer this type of crypto trading, there will be just a single transaction fee of 1% charged for either buying or selling XRP. There are no other fees charged for purchasing the crypto asset but if you choose to transfer your XRP tokens to your eToro Money wallet, a 2% transfer fee will be deducted from your balance. Crypto investors can also trade XRP as CFDs, with any short selling order and leverage position on crypto assets being executed as a CFD trade. The standard 1% fee on purchasing the assets and 1% on selling your XRP will be charged when trading CFDs on Ripple.

   CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
4. TRADE NOW READ REVIEW
   4. Pepperstone

   Pepperstone is easily one of the most reputable retail brokers you can join online, covering a wide range of trading markets. If you wish to trade Ripple and other popular cryptocurrencies, you will have the chance to speculate on the price movement of the assets, taking either short or long CFD positions. You can make use of leverage of up to 1:2 and trade XRP against USD with an average spread of 2.7 pips. Pepperstone is a reputable Forex broker, regulated by top authorities like ASIC, BaFin, CMA, CySEC, and more.

   CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.5% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
5. TRADE NOW READ REVIEW
   5. Global Prime

   While buying and selling Ripple directly might be a great solution for long-term investments, some traders prefer going short or making use of leverage. In that case, Global Prime is the right destination for your Ripple trades as it gives customers the chance to trade CFDs on more than 35 crypto coins, including XRP. Striving for some of the most competitive prices across other crypto brokers and exchanges, Global Prime charges only a small trading commission of 0.1%. Keeping positions open will also incur an overnight financing charge which will be updated daily and will be available in every trader’s MetaTrader account. The broker is regulated by the financial watchdogs of Australia and Vanuatu.

   Global Prime is a trading name of FMGP Trading Group Pty Ltd (ABN 74 146 086 017) and is regulated by ASIC and licensed to carry on a financial services business in Australia under Australian Financial Services License No. 385620. Gleneagle Securities Pty Limited trading as Global Prime FX, is a registered Vanuatu company (Company Number 40256) and is regulated by the VFSC. The website is owned and operated by FMGP Trading Group Pty Ltd, ABN 74 146 086 017.

Comprehensive Comparison of the Top 5 Ripple Trading Platforms

Best Platforms for Buying and Exchanging Ripple

1. Coinbase

   Among the online exchanges one can head to for their Ripple trades, Coinbase ranks as one of the top choices. Allowing you to start your crypto trading with a minimum trade of $1.99, Coinbase offers the same easy access to crypto investments to every type of trader. When buying, selling, or converting your XRP tokens, you will be charged Coinbase fees that vary depending on factors like chosen payment solutions, country of residence, market conditions, etc. Spread is also charged when buying and selling the crypto asset, with the average rate of this surcharge being about 0.5%. Maker/taker fees are also in place but the exact rates depending on your monthly trading volume, typically range from 0.05% to 0.60%.

2. Kraken

   If you want to trade Ripple under some of the best conditions available, we suggest opting for Kraken. This is a top-tier exchange platform, allowing you to buy, sell, and exchange XRP and over 260 other digital coins while paying some of the lowest fees you can come across online. While there is no commission charged on trades, there is a spread that is included in the price of XRP at the time of buying the crypto coin. In addition to straightforward Ripple purchases, Kraken also supports futures trading, giving customers access to more than 160 perpetual futures. Futures trading enables XRP traders to go both long and short, potentially profiting from any price direction. Futures additionally enable investors to make use of leverage and pay extremely low fees, with taker charges being as low as 0.01%.

3. Binance

   Being one of the leading exchanges for crypto investors, Binance offers several ways to trade XRP, among 500+ other coins, allowing different trading strategies to be implemented by traders. Spot trading allows Binance users to purchase or sell XRP tokens at current market prices in a few simple steps. The fees charged per transaction vary depending on the monthly trading volume of Binance users. Maker and taker fees for regular traders are both 0.1000%. Options trading is also available to Binance customers, with maker and taker fees for this type of trading starting at 0.0300% and decreasing further the higher your monthly trading volume gets. The exchange provides detailed information about Ripple’s price history, current market cap, volume, circulation supply, and more.

4. Crypto.com

   Crypto.com emerged on the market in 2016, offering investors various ways to trade over 350 cryptocurrencies. Those who wish to invest in Ripple can buy and sell the cryptocurrency in just a few simple steps. The fee structure of this exchange is based on the monthly trading activity of Crypto.com users, offering lower maker and taker fees to users who have reached higher trading levels. Conveniently enough, traders may also join the Market Maker Programme of Crypto.com and further reduce maker and taker fees. This top-tier exchange will allow you to trade XRP/USD with a leverage of up to 1:5, enabling significant potential returns.

5. KuCoin

   KuCoin poses another great option for Ripple traders, enabling both spot and futures trading of the popular cryptocurrency. Boasting a user-friendly platform, KuCoin offers an equally smooth trading experience to novices and expert traders alike. Competitive prices are also one of the great features of trading XRP at KuCoin, with maker and taker fees on spot trades being just 0.1% each. Meanwhile, those who opt for futures XRP trading will pay maker and taker fees of 0.02% and 0.06%, respectively. Investors ready to trade XRP can instantly top up their account via a crypto wallet, fund their balance via a fiat method, or directly purchase XRP coins on the KuCoin platform. The exchange accepts several popular payment methods, including PayPal, Skrill, Zelle, bank transfers, and cards.

Quick Facts About Ripple and Ripple Blockchain

Ripple falls under the category of currency exchanges, having its payment platform built on the XRPL blockchain. While Ripple can be traded by anyone, its main purpose is to provide an alternative to SWIFT payments to institutional traders. Due to its specific nature, Ripple is often regarded as a non-cryptocurrency as it is quite different from Bitcoin or other popular crypto coins one can trade online. The number of validators in the XRP blockchain is significantly lower (about 150) compared to those in other blockchains. That makes XRP more similar to centralized digital assets than to decentralized crypto coins.

As you may know, the more validators, the bigger the control each individual has over the purchases of a specific crypto coin. There are 35 validators included in Ripple’s Unique Node List (UNL), with at least six of them being members of Ripple Labs – the company developing the Ripple payment protocol and its exchanges network. Another interesting fact about Ripple is that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched a lawsuit against its creators in the New York District Court, claiming the digital token is a form of security and should be registered and regulated as such. While these claims were subsequently rejected by the Court in 2023, the regulator is bracing itself for another round of legal battles as it filed an appeal against this decision in October 2024.

Here are some key features of Ripple:

• Ripple is a digital payment system and protocol that carries out its operations on the XRP Ledger blockchain.
• The main purpose of XRP is providing global payment and crypto liquidity solutions to corporate entities.
• Ripple is a digital assets with unique features, operating both in the blockchain and the crypto financial services sector.
• In 2024, Ripple launched a Japan and Korea fund, cementing the growing Ripple presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Ripple plans on releasing a stablecoin (RLUSD) backed by the US dollar.

Ripple Brokers vs. Ripple Exchanges

Depending on the goals of investors, they may choose to trade Ripple through CFDs or opt for a long-term investment by purchasing XRP whenever its price is declining. As there are different ways to trade the digital asset, traders may resort to different entities for their Ripple investments. If you are looking for a straightforward way to buy or sell the altcoin, you can head to one of the exchanges we have covered.

To purchase XRP, you can use either a fiat currency or other tokens supported by the exchange of your choice. This is suitable for traders looking for long-term Ripple investments as one is keeping the coin until its price rises enough to ensure a decent return. As purchasing XRP with an exchange may come with additional charges and conditions, we have made sure to cover some of the finest exchange entities that will ensure the best value for your XRP purchases.

Alternatively, many traders opt for trading XRP through CFDs, which are derivative instruments available at a wide range of reputable retail brokers. Ripple CFDs can be categorized as long and short, with the first option allowing traders to place orders on price growth, while the short position involves anticipating a possible price decline.

How to Confirm if Ripple Trading Platforms Are Regulated

Whether you decide to purchase/sell XRP through an exchange or trade the crypto coin through a broker’s platform, you should always make sure that you are investing your real money in a safe and fair environment. The highest level of protection is always offered only by reputable brands regulated by the strictest regulatory bodies in the crypto trading sector.

There is a crucial difference between simply buying XRP and trading a Ripple CFD. Typically, whenever you are trading CFDs, you do not own the asset but you simply trade the underlying contract. This means the product is stored in your trading account which is regulated by the respective financial authority that oversees CFD trading in your jurisdiction.

Any reputable retail broker makes sure to list the regulators monitoring its services, providing license numbers that can be easily verified by the broker’s customers. Some of the strictest regulators responsible for protecting traders include the Financial Conduct Authority(FCA) in the UK, the Cyprus Security Exchange Commission (CySEC) in Cyprus, and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia, just to name a few.

Some of the big regulatory bodies that oversee crypto CFD trading are also responsible for regulating many of the biggest exchanges you can use to buy and sell XRP. For instance, to offer US crypto traders the chance to purchase and sell XRP, crypto exchanges must be registered as a Money Services Business with FinCEN. Other respected crypto exchange regulators include FINTRAC (Canada), FCA (the UK), and various financial authorities across Europe.

We advise you to verify the regulatory information about the exchange/broker of your choice before you start trading XRP. That way, you can be certain whether you will be properly protected while trading the popular crypto coin. You can easily confirm the regulatory status of your broker or exchange by searching its name in the official registers of the regulators it that it claims to oversee it.

Ways to Trade Ripple Online

As already mentioned, Ripple can be traded in several ways, depending on your investment goals and profit expectations. While some traders are looking for long-term investment options, others prefer making smaller profits from strategies like intraday trading. Either way, you have a few options you can utilize for your online Ripple trading.

One of the most straightforward ways to invest in Ripple is to simply use an exchange platform to buy and sell XRP. You can keep the asset in your exchange wallet until you feel like its price has gained enough to offer the return you have expected to enjoy. Alternatively, you can adopt a more active trading approach and engage in intraday trading, buying and selling the crypto coin multiple times in a day.

While purchasing XRP through an exchange allows you to own a portion of the specific asset, you can also opt for crypto trading through a brokerage platform. The most common form of crypto trading available at numerous retail brokers is CFD trading. In this case, you are not purchasing the asset but rather placing money on the opportunity of gaining a profit from the price fluctuation at the time of opening and closing your position. Investors can hold either a long position (predicting the price will increase) or a short position (speculating the price will decline). CFD Ripple trading is most commonly a short-term trading option, typically utilized by day traders.

There is also a way to gain profits through futures contracts, allowing you access to Ripple without owning the digital asset. Meanwhile, those who own Ripple can make use of futures to hedge exposure against price fluctuations. Simply put, Ripple futures represent an agreement between two trading counterparties to buy and sell a specific amount of the digital asset at a specific price point on an exact date and time in the future.

Trading Ripple with Leverage

You can trade XRP futures making use of leverage which may significantly boost your profits. Also known as margin trading, this strategy allows you to pledge the XRP tokens you own and use them as collateral to borrow extra funds for bigger XRP purchases. This type of trading is suitable if you are speculating the price of Ripple will gain in a short period of time but you lack the funds to make a bigger XRP trade.

It should be noted that not all crypto exchanges offer margin trading on XRP but you may come across several platforms offering a maximum leverage of 1:2 on XRP. This means using 100 XRP as collateral will allow you to purchase an additional 100 XRP. Thankfully, you may also come across more generous exchanges where the leverage may range from 1:3 and 1:5.

While trading Ripple with leverage may sound like a great opportunity for bigger returns, traders must keep in mind that using leverage poses a huge risk. With the crypto market offering assets with enormous liquidity, it is understandable why the maximum leverage can rarely go beyond 1:3 or 1:5. While using leverage may allow you to go long and purchase additional XRP, it can also cause a massive loss in no time.

What Moves Ripple Prices?

Before you dive deeper into XRP trading, we suggest you get familiar with the factors affecting the price fluctuations of the cryptocurrency. Proper monitoring of the XRP market will allow you to spot suitable trading opportunities and act on them as soon as there is a potential gain on the horizon.

There are a few key elements that may influence the price of XRP and those include:

• Amendments in the regulatory framework
• Supply and demand of the token
• The sentiments of large-scale crypto investors
• Innovations introduced to the RippleNet environment
• XRP-related news and FUD(fear, uncertainty, and doubt)

Regulatory changes typically affect the price fluctuation of many cryptocurrencies as the legislative framework dictates the way XRP, or another crypto asset, can be bought, sold, stored, and exchanged. With some markets introducing a complete ban on private cryptocurrency activities, it is only natural that the price of assets like XRP may decline. Meanwhile, whenever a new market introduces a more lax crypto legislative environment, the price of Ripple and other similar crypto assets tends to increase.

Like many other assets, XRP is also affected by the supply and demand factor, with daily trading activity determining the final price of the crypto coin. With higher XRP emissions and the digital asset becoming more centralized, the inflation rate increases, which in turn, nudges the risk level higher. Since a predominant part of Ripple’s validators are members of Ripple’s UNL, the crypto coin is considered to be rather centralized, which may also affect the price of XRP.

The way prominent XRP investors act will also have a direct impact on the crypto coin’s price. If we take a look at the way XRP tokens have been distributed, we will learn that about 52 million XRP tokens are exchanged freely, with data showing that only 4.5 million wallets are holding XRP coins. If big investors are showing lower interest in the cryptocurrency, that negatively affects its price, making it less popular with traders.

Innovations introduced to the RippleNet ecosystem are also crucial for price movements in the XRP market. When it comes to digitalization, XRP is one of the crypto market leaders, with over 200 large institutions being a part of the RippleNet system (including prominent names like Bank of America). With an increasing number of big players using Ripple, the higher the value of the crypto asset, suggesting stronger trading positions.

No matter the asset that you trade, it is important to consider any relevant news that may have an impact on the price of the instrument. Ripple’s price is also affected by major crypto news, with FUDs becoming a prominent driving force in the crypto market as information spreads fast, reaching a large number of traders. Fake news, including misleading social media posts by celebrities and influencers with a massive global following, has often impacted the price of crypto assets, creating an artificial boost in crypto coins’ value.

Costs Associated with Ripple Trading

While there are various factors to consider when choosing the exchange or broker to trade XRP with, associated fees are a crucial element to consider. The surcharges that you will pay for any trade that you make must be taken into account before you open any position. While we have listed brokers and exchanges offering competitive trading prices, you can do your own research and compare fees offered by several entities offering XRP trading options.

Many retail brokers will allow you to buy and sell XRP while paying a small fee. The rate of the surcharge you will pay whenever opening and closing a position depends on the policy of the entity, but it may often be about 1%. Exchanges tend to charge an admin fee whenever you buy, sell, or transact in cryptocurrencies. However, this type of surcharge is not a fixed amount and can change depending on various factors affecting the crypto market. Nevertheless, you should always be able to see any fees applied to the transaction before you initiate any type of XRP trade.

Trading XRP through CFDs may also include paying some fees charged by the retail broker for the services provided to crypto investors. Often, brokers allow their customers to trade the crypto coin against major fiat currencies like USD, EUR, and JPY. While trades may often come with 0 commission attached to them, a small fee is typically built into the spread. The XRP spread represents the difference between the asset’s buy and sell price points, allowing for a small commission charged on every trade placed by XRP investors. Spreads vary across different brokers but a common average you can see at many crypto trading entities is between 0.95 and 1.

In many cases, retail brokers offer their customers Zero/Raw accounts that further reduce the spread but add a small commission to each side of the trade. Despite being charged a couple of dollars per trade, however, the overall price per trade carried out via Zero/Raw account holders tends to be lower than the regular trading price.

While buying or selling XRP at exchanges, you will also be charged a maker or taker fee. The former is charged when traders place limit orders away from the market, while the latter is paid for making limit and stop-limit orders placed on the market. These fees differ across various exchanges and brokers, often reducing in size whenever the monthly trading volume increases. Generally speaking, maker fees are lower than taker surcharges.

If you trade CFDs on XRP and you are keeping a position open overnight, the broker of your choice will most likely charge an overnight fee. The rate of this surcharge depends on the fee policy of the retail broker allowing trading XRP CFDs. Depending on the direction of their position, traders either pay or receive interest for leaving their CFD trades open overnight.

As you will need to fund your account before you purchase XRP coins or go for long/short positions on XRP CFDs, you are advised to pick budget-friendly banking solutions. Often, exchanges and retail brokers will not impose any fee on deposits carried out via methods like bank cards, e-wallets, or instant banking. While some entities require depositing a specific minimum to be eligible to trade the cryptocurrency, there are brokers who will allow you to start trading with as little as you feel comfortable spending. Before you fund your crypto trading balance, we suggest checking for any additional transactional fees you may be charged as this could affect your XRP experience.

Reasons For and Against Trading Ripple

If you are still uncertain about the potential of Ripple trading, we suggest comparing the drivers and restraints of XRP trading. Below, we have listed all the strengths and weaknesses related to trading the popular cryptocurrency.

Written by Z. Stefanova