Ripple is a real-time gross settlement system, currency exchange and remittance network created by Ripple Labs Inc.,
a US-based technology company. Released in 2012, Ripple is built upon a distributed open source protocol,
and supports tokens representing fiat currency, cryptocurrency,
commodities, or other units of value such as frequent flier miles or mobile minutes.
Ripple purports to enable "secure, instantly and nearly free global financial transactions of any size with no chargebacks".
The ledger employs the native cryptocurrency known as XRP.

Cloud mining is the process of cryptocurrency mining utilizing a remote datacenter with shared processing power.
This type of cloud mining enables users to mine bitcoins or alternative cryptocurrencies without managing the hardware.
The mining rigs are housed and maintained in a facility owned by mining company and the customer simply needs to register and purchase mining contracts or shares.
Since cloud mining is provided as a service, there is generally some cost and this can result in lower returns for the miner.