[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] XRP's official X account has finally opened under the handle "@XRP". That gives XRP a dedicated official social media account after bitcoin, ether and dogecoin (DOGE).

On Oct. 19, blockchain outlet U.Today reported that the account announced its launch with a first post saying, "hello, world. It's about time."

Ripple also welcomed the account shortly after it was created. Ripple said it had continued development based on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) with thousands of participants for more than 10 years, stressing its long ties with XRP. It added, "Nice to meet @XRP here."

Ripple Chief Executive Brad Garlinghouse (브래드 갈링하우스) also responded in a separate post. Alongside a short video, he wrote that he had waited a very long time for XRP and welcomed @XRP. It showed that the launch of the XRP account had long been anticipated inside Ripple as well.

According to its profile, the @XRP account is jointly managed by Ripple and the XRPL Foundation (XRPLF). Its bio describes XRP as the "native token of the XRPL" and says the XRPL is a decentralised blockchain designed for payments. The account also includes a notice that posts do not constitute investment advice.

Early reaction was swift. The account had already secured 21,700 followers on the day it was opened, and it was following 42 accounts. Followers included BJ Kanna and the Ripple stablecoin tracker, among others.

With the launch, XRP joined the ranks of major cryptocurrencies that already run dedicated social media accounts. Bitcoin's @Bitcoin account has operated since August 2011, and ether has the @ethereum account managed by the Ethereum Foundation. Dogecoin has also operated the @dogecoin account since December 2013.

XRP has long been classified as one of the industry's leading digital assets, but it is only now that an official platform-level communication channel has been set up. Attention is focusing on what role the @XRP account will play in delivering project information and communicating with the community.

hello, world. It’s about time. https://t.co/L6bVkZXxIK