What the heck is Ripple? A brief look at the hottest cryptocurrency of the moment.

Move over ethereum and litecoin — ripple is suddenly the hot new cryptocurrency. 

But ripple is different. It can't be mined. It can't be used to go shopping. And it's operated by a private company.

Ripple is still far smaller than bitcoin, the reigning king of cryptocurrencies, but it's had a remarkable 2017. Ripple has increased by 29,000 percent in the past 12 months, pushing its value to more than $70 billion. In comparison, bitcoin — which has had a notably successful, if volatile, year — has risen by over 1,400 percent to a value of $245 billion.