*RIPPLE'S* RIPPLES

NEW YORK: Digital coin Ripple's market value rockets to US$ 86 billion.

A new contender just moved into second place in the race to catch Bitcoin.

Ripple, a cryptocurrency that first surfaced in 2013, has surged 53% in the past 24 hours to surpass  ''Ethereum'' and take the title of the world's second most valuable digital coin by market-cap.

Ripple's market value rocketed to US$86 billion, making Ether No.3 at US$ 73 billion. Bitcoins 'market cap is near US$ 250 billion.

It is the latest twist in the crypto saga known as the ''flippening''. That's what Ether enthusiasts call the coin's anticipated rise to the to the most valuable by market cap. Rather than catching up to Bitcoin, though Ether has fallen behind other upstarts.

Just last week, it looked like Bitcoin cash, which first debuted in August, would spoil Ether's pursuit. That threat faded as the Bitcoin-spinoff tumbled, only to be replaced, and realised, by Ripple as its  20,000% surge this year flipped the flippening on its head.

''There's no doubt 2017 has been, among other things, the year of crypto,'' Ripple chief executive officer Brad Garlinghouse said on Bloomberg television earlier this week.

''And within the year of crypto, XRP [ripple] has outperformed every other digital asset out there.''

Ripple's rally has far outpaced the gains of both Ether and Bitcoin, which have gained roughly  9,000% and 1,400%  year-to-date, respectively.

- Bloomberg.