The XRP Ledger launched in June 2012 and has maintained consistently low transaction fees ever since. Understanding the history of XRP fees helps explain the protocol's design philosophy and how it has held up over more than a decade.

XRP Ledger Launch (2012)

When Ripple launched the XRP Ledger in 2012, the base transaction fee was set at 10 drops (0.00001 XRP). This has been the minimum fee for all standard transactions ever since. The consistency of this fee is a testament to the protocol's stability.

Fee Spikes During Bull Markets

During periods of high XRP network activity — often coinciding with bull markets — the daily XRP burned in fees can spike significantly. In February 2025, the network generated approximately 5,900 XRP in fees per day. By late 2025, this fell to around 650 XRP per day as activity normalized.

2017: Transfer Fee Amendment

In November 2017, the fix1201 amendment was enabled, setting a maximum transfer fee of 100% for issued token transfers on the XRPL. This regulated how much token issuers could charge but did not affect the base transaction fee.

2026: Potential Staking and Programmability Fees

As of early 2026, discussions are ongoing about adding native XRP staking and programmability features. Any new fee streams would be directed to a validator rewards pool. The base 10-drop transaction fee itself is expected to remain unchanged.

14.3 Million XRP Burned

Since inception, more than 14.3 million XRP have been permanently burned through transaction fees. This represents a growing deflationary pressure on the total supply of 100 billion XRP issued at genesis.

Consistency Is the Story

What is remarkable about XRP fee history is the near-total consistency of the base fee. While Bitcoin and Ethereum fees have swung from negligible to hundreds of dollars and back, the XRP base fee has remained at 10 drops since day one. This predictability is a major advantage for businesses needing reliable cost structures for international payments.