Let us begin, though, not at the beginning (for beginnings are overrated), but at a moment in time in 2011 when Schwartz, alongside the ever-elusive Jed McCaleb and the cryptic Arthur Britto, embarked upon the grand task of creating XRP Ledger (or as it is affectionately known in some circles, XRPL). Fueled by an obsession with Bitcoin, a passion for what was (at the time) an emerging technology, and a hearty dose of ambition, they set out to build something-yes, something!-that would transcend the limitations of Bitcoin, and in doing so, create a new digital asset, crafted specifically for payments. And so, in mid-2012, XRP Ledger was born-an innovation of the highest order.