New kid on the Bitcoin block

Ripple was in prime position to benefit from a flood of existing crypto-investor cash

Pic: Getty

It really did look like it was just one worth a half decent punt. Ripple was worth about $0.005, that is to say half a cent, a year ago but has now taken the unlikely position of second most valuable crypto-currency.

While its market price at the time of writing was still dwarfed by Ethereum, long the second most valued such currency, Ripple’s market capitalisation has it second only to Bitcoin. At $2.70 ...