The XRP Ledger is a low-cost, fast, and scalable decentralized technology whose native token – XRP – has gone on many bull runs in the past. But its retraces have also been deep, and the token is currently trading in an accumulation range.
Being a volatile cryptocurrency, investors often seek out ways to earn interest on XRP. Creating an XRP interest account allows investors to earn an APY and compound their gains over the long term. Since most Ripple interest accounts offer APY (Annual Percentage Yield) on flexible terms, holders can easily withdraw their assets and not lose out on using them to trade on the live market.
But not all XRP or crypto interest accounts in general are built the same. This guide reveals the best platforms to earn interest on XRP based on their returns, terms and conditions, UI, and regulations.
Best XRP Interest Rates Compared
Below is the breakdown of the APY provided by the top XRP interest account providers.
XRP interest account | XRP interest rate | Terms & Conditions for Best Interest Rates |
Nexo | Up to 8% | Fixed Terms for Additional APY Earnings |
OKX | Up to 5% | Staking and Saving Available on Flex and Fixed Terms |
Binance | 0.6% | Only Flexible Terms Available for Interest – No Maximum Limit Mentioned |
Best XRP Interest Accounts Reviewed
Below we take a closer look at the most popular ways to earn interest on XRP this year and how to get started:
Nexo – Overall best platform to earn interest on XRP in 2024
Our first pick that offers regular returns on XRP on both flexible and fixed terms is Nexo. Nexo is primarily a crypto lending platform with some trading features on the side.
At Nexo, XRP holders can earn up to 8% APY depending on which tier they are at. Also, the FLEX rate – interest earned on flexible terms – depends on how much money the investor has deposited on the platform.
As one of the leading crypto lending platforms, Nexo transfers the interest earned on XRP holdings on a daily basis, and since most of the account’s offerings are on FLEX (flexible) terms, withdraw can happen at any time. The division of rewards on this platform is a bit more nuanced as it depends on the following factors.
- The tier level
- The number of tokens deposited
- And the terms
For instance, at a base level, those who opt for Flex terms can earn up to 4% APY. An additional 1% will be rewarded to them if they agree to lock their assets for a month.
Silver members will earn 4.25% APY on FLEX terms and an additional 1% for opting for fixed terms. These members can also earn an additional 0.25% APY if they agree to get paid in NEXO – the native crypto of Nexo crypto lending platform.
Gold members can earn 4.5% APY on FLEX terms and an additional 1% for holding the tokens for a month. Those who agree to be paid in NEXO will earn an additional 1% – which makes the total APY for Gold members 6.5%.
The highest tier available on NEXO is the Platinum tier, in which investors can earn the highest interest on XRP – 5%. Fixed terms will allow these investors to earn an additional 1%, and agreeing to be paid in NEXO will allow them to earn an additional 2% APY. Nexo combines it to reward up to 8% APY to users.
To become members of these tiers, holding NEXO in their private portfolio is a must. The more NEXO tokens these investors hold, the higher their tier goes.
On the regulatory front, Nexo is licensed by the European Union and other institutions to carry out its operations. It has licenses from the US, Australia, and Canada as well.
Pros Cons
OKX – Platform to earn interest on XRP on Flexible Terms
OKX is a complete crypto platform, offering everything from crypto loans to simple trading to advanced features such as an NFT marketplace and spot and derivatives trading. Over the years, however, OKX has become one of the leading places to earn interest on cryptocurrencies.
Investors can earn up to 2.5% APY for staking on flexible terms. Risk-averse investors can also choose to open a simple savings account on the platform and earn 1% APY in return. And those who are willing to let go of their assets for a limited time and opt for locked staking for 90 days and earn up to 5% APY.
Staking and saving are part of OKX’s Earn program, which has eight different earning mechanics, such as ETH 2.0 staking, DeFi Staking, Dual Investment, Shark Fin, and more. OKX also features tools for developers that enable them to develop dApps. Institutional investors will also enjoy features such as the Broker program, APIs, and VIP loans.
The best aspect of earning interest on XRP on OKX is limitlessness. All the staking rewards offered are part of off-chain staking – and, thus, don’t require the investor to have any additional technical expertise. And with no limits, an investor’s earning potential on the platform is high. Also, nowhere in the official platform does it say that one needs to hold additional OKB – the native crypto of OKX – to earn more interest.
The only drawback is that the platform, even though regulated in most parts of the world, can’t operate in the US. US traders can engage with OKX DEX for their crypto trading needs, but spot trading and derivatives trading features won’t be accessible to them.
More information. about this exchange is available in our OKX review.
Pros Cons
Binance – Earn interest on XRP with a 2-month lockup period
As the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange by market capitalization, Binance has no lack of facilities through which people can put their tokens to work. That makes it one of the best places to earn interest on Binance.
Through Binance’s Simple Earn program, investors can earn 0.4% APR (Annual Percentage Return) on XRP. Since it is a low reward for holding XRP inside a Binance account, investors can also opt for DeFi staking for a flexible duration and earn 1.39% APR. Advanced users can also add XRP liquidity pairs to the liquidity swap protocol and earn up to 6.03% APY.
Having a diverse way to earn interest on XRP on Binance is great since the standard reward is so low. However, other features like DeFi staking and Liquidity Swap are riskier investments – and often come with a condition. For instance, DeFi staking XRP has risks, and using liquidity swaps will only offer rewards in terms of BNB tokens.
Receiving higher APY would have been no trouble if not for the complex user interface. Binance originally designed the interface for institutional investors, but it got popularized by individual traders. And while Binance has tried to handle this situation by offering tutorials, going through them can be a slog since they are lengthy.
Thankfully, the Simple Earn program’s APY rewards are not static – they aren’t permanent. It is likely that when the market for XRP rises, Binance will start to provide a higher APY.
US traders can’t access Binance because of its complicated relationship with the US legal system. What US citizens can instead use is Binance.US – but that doesn’t offer staking rewards.
Binance also offers one of the best deals when buying cryptocurrencies.
Investors can learn more about this exchange’s offerings by going through our Binance review.
Pros Cons
How to Earn Interest on XRP Tutorial
We have covered the best platforms that offer interesting interest rewards for holding XRP. And now, it is time to look at the steps to start earning interest on XRP.
Throughout our research, we found that NEXO offers the best APY for holding XRP. And with its rewards for both flexible and fixed terms, Nexo is one of the few platforms to have come out winning, even during the crypto winter.
- Go to the official Nexo website and create a free crypto interest account
- Proceed into the account and click on Identity Verification
- The prior step will take investors to a page on which they must select their government-issued ID and upload them properly
- Deposit at least 1 XRP in the NEXO account and receive daily payouts on XRP interests
Is Earning Interest on XRP a Good Investment?
XRP had a tumultuous year in 2022. The token went through cycles of massive retraced only to bounce back and then correct to even lower lows. While the token tried to ride the wave of its utility of allowing fast transactions at a quick pace, it suffered the brunt of the bear market. And to make matters worse, the SEC lawsuit didn’t do any favors.
However, the impact of the SEC lawsuit on the XRP price movements was always puzzling as the crypto market is ruled by community sentiment that can switch at any moment. As such, whenever there was some hope that Ripple might win the case, buying pressure mounted on XRP, increasing its price.
But the lack of a conclusion to the case pushed the XRP price down. It shows that despite its utility, XRP isn’t relying on its uses to climb or fall down the price charts. That makes XRP one of the most volatile assets to trade in the open market.
Another reason that points to XRP’s volatility is that while most of the crypto market experienced an upswing thanks to the renewed interest in Bitcoin, XRP continued to trade in volatile zones between $0.36 and $0.40.
These factors make it much for suitable for investors to hold their XRP tokens and accumulate steady profits over time. The crypto interest provided by the listed exchanges promises regular gains without stopping whatever the market price of XRP is. Yes, massive retraces may drop the value of those profits – but these would be gains nonetheless.
Furthermore, those who don’t want to lock their asset for a fixed period can instead choose flexible terms, which would allow them to buy or sell XRP at the same time.
XRP Interest vs. Staking
Earning interest on XRP is the same as earning interest on one’s financial holdings at the bank. The bank uses deposits as a way to offer loans to others. When these loans are being paid, part of the interest is paid back to those who deposited the amount. However, there are two issues with that.
- Interest is paid on a quarterly basis
- The interest rates aren’t that high
While having a low-interest rate is understandable, paying interest only on a quarterly basis often doesn’t make people realize how much money they are earning through interest. In fact, many don’t even consider the interest amount as income.
But when a person earns interest on XRP, the method is the same, but the terms are different. The interest providers here are leading crypto lenders and cryptocurrency exchanges that offer weekly and often daily returns to users. Nexo, for instance, offers daily APYs on XRP holdings.
Since the returns are often regular, earning interest on XRP is considered one of the better ways to make money with cryptocurrency.
An alternative to earning interest is staking. The method is more or less the same, but the assets are locked for a particular period of time, during which they are used to validate the transactions of the blockchain they are part of. Users don’t have access to their holdings during that time – but the APYs are much higher. The size of APY often depends on the size of the holdings. Conventionally, higher deposits come with lower APYs – but it isn’t the case with XRP.
However, those looking for a simpler way of staking opt for soft staking. Soft staking is similar to earning interest and is provided by most top cryptocurrency staking platforms.
Aqru – Overall Best Crypto Interest Provider
XRP is a volatile asset, and its returns for opening savings interest accounts are low. But for those looking to earn interest in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum as well as stablecoins, Aqru has a lot of potential.
Much like the platforms we have covered so far, Aqru also makes it easy to earn interest on cryptos. Its UI is user-friendly, and its interest-earning mechanics are inclusive – which means every time a trader buys or transfers, or trades on Aqru, they will earn interest.
Aqru’s earn program is simple, and it calls a way to “Supercharge one’s crypto portfolio”. The platforms open access to cryptocurrency investment pools and other cryptocurrency products for the users. And users can open an account on the platform by only depositing $250k.
Yes, this number is large, but so are the facilities on the platform. Aqru develops the platform constantly and has recently reduced its commission to 0.35%. And with Aqru’s earn program, investors can earn up to 10% APY. The highest interest rates are provided for stablecoins.
There are six different modules in the earning program, and each offers a different APY.
- Real-world receivables offer the highest 10% APY for holding, trading, and investing in USDC
- Maple USDC offers 3% APY
- Flexible USDC offers up to 1% APY on flexible terms
- Maple ETH offers 2% APY for holding ETH
- Flex ETH and Flex BTC also offer great APYs
With so many flexible options available, it is no wonder that Aqru has climbed up the ranks as one of the top providers of crypto interest accounts. That said, it is important to keep in mind that Aqru’s terms for offering interest change often – sometimes, they are not allowed for new deposits.
Conclusion
This guide has covered all the platforms that offer lucrative interest rates for holding XRP. We have discussed various aspects of these accounts – including their value in the long term.
But those who want to diversify their cryptocurrency investments and earn regular gains must check out the exclusive platform known as Aqru. It is one of the few crypto interest account providers to offer high-interest rates on Stablecoins and other leading cryptocurrencies. Also, as it enforces no lock-up period, Aqru is a platform suitable for both veteran and novice traders.