Update README.md file (#1656)

README.md

@@ -1,129 +1,93 @@
 ![Ripple](/images/ripple.png)
 
-#The World’s Fastest and Most Secure Payment System
+# What is Ripple?
+Ripple is a network of computers which use the [Ripple consensus algorithm]
+(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1QVb1vlC0) to atomically settle and record
+transactions on a secure distributed database, the Ripple Consensus Ledger
+(RCL). Because of its distributed nature, the RCL offers transaction immutability
+without a central operator. The RCL contains a built-incurrency exchange and its
+path-finding algorithm finds competitive exchange rates across order books
+and currency pairs.
 
-**What is Ripple?**
+### Key Features
+- **Distributed**
+  - Direct account-to-account settlement with no central operator
+  - Decentralized global market for competitive FX
+- **Secure**
+  - Transactions are cryptographically signed using ECDSA or Ed25519
+  - Multi-signing capabilities
+- **Scalable**
+  - Capacity to process the world’s cross-border payments volume
+  - Easy access to liquidity through a competitive FX marketplace
 
-Ripple is the open-source, distributed payment protocol that enables instant
-payments with low fees, no chargebacks, and currency flexibility (for example
-dollars, yen, euros, bitcoins, or even loyalty points). Businesses of any size
-can easily build payment solutions such as banking or remittance apps, and
-accelerate the movement of money. Ripple enables the world to move value the
-way it moves information on the Internet.
+## Cross-border payments
+Ripple enables banks to settle cross-border payments in real-time, with
+end-to-end transparency, and at lower costs. Banks can provide liquidity
+for FX themselves or source it from third parties.
 
-![Ripple Network](images/network.png)
+As Ripple adoption grows, so do the number of currencies and counterparties.
+Liquidity providers need to maintain accounts with each counterparty for
+each currency – a capital- and time-intensive endeavor that spreads liquidity
+thin. Further, some transactions, such as exotic currency trades, will require
+multiple trading parties, who each layer costs to the transaction. Thin
+liquidity and many intermediary trading parties make competitive pricing
+challenging.
 
-**What is a Gateway?**
+![Flow - Direct](images/flow1.png)
 
-Ripple works with gateways: independent businesses which hold customer
-deposits in various currencies such as U.S. dollars (USD) or Euros (EUR),
-in exchange for providing cryptographically-signed issuances that users can
-send and trade with one another in seconds on the Ripple network. Within the
-protocol, exchanges between multiple currencies can occur atomically without
-any central authority to monitor them. Later, customers can withdraw their
-Ripple balances from the gateways that created those issuances.
+### XRP as a Bridge Currency
+Ripple can bridge even exotic currency pairs directly through XRP. Similar to
+USD in today’s currency market, XRP allows liquidity providers to focus on
+offering competitive FX rates on fewer pairs and adding depth to order books.
+Unlike USD, trading through XRP does not require bank accounts, service fees,
+counterparty risk, or additional operational costs. By using XRP, liquidity
+providers can specialize in certain currency corridors, reduce operational
+costs, and ultimately, offer more competitive FX pricing.
 
-**How do Ripple payments work?**
+![Flow - Bridged over XRP](images/flow2.png)
 
-A sender specifies the amount and currency the recipient should receive and
-Ripple automatically converts the sender’s available currencies using the
-distributed order books integrated into the Ripple protocol. Independent third
-parties acting as  market makers provide liquidity in these order books.
+# rippled - Ripple server
+`rippled` is the reference server implementation of the Ripple
+protocol. To learn more about how to build and run a `rippled`
+server, visit https://ripple.com/build/rippled-setup/
 
-Ripple uses a pathfinding algorithm that considers currency pairs when
-converting from the source to the destination currency. This algorithm searches
-for a series of currency swaps that gives the user the lowest cost. Since
-anyone can participate as a market maker, market forces drive fees to the
-lowest practical level.
+[![travis-ci.org: Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/ripple/rippled.png?branch=develop)](https://travis-ci.org/ripple/rippled)
+[![codecov.io: Code Coverage](https://codecov.io/gh/ripple/rippled/branch/develop/graph/badge.svg)](https://codecov.io/gh/ripple/rippled)
 
-**What can you do with Ripple?**
+### License
+`rippled` is open source and permissively licensed under the
+ISC license. See the LICENSE file for more details.
 
-The protocol is entirely open-source and the network’s shared ledger is public
-information, so no central authority prevents anyone from participating. Anyone
-can become a market maker, create a wallet or a gateway, or monitor network
-behavior. Competition drives down spreads and fees, making the network useful
-to everyone.
+#### Repository Contents
+
+| Folder  | Contents |
+|---------|----------|
+| ./bin   | Scripts and data files for Ripple integrators. |
+| ./build | Intermediate and final build outputs.          |
+| ./Builds| Platform or IDE-specific project files.        |
+| ./doc   | Documentation and example configuration files. |
+| ./src   | Source code.                                   |
+| ./test  | Javascript / Mocha tests.                      |
 
 
-###Key Protocol Features
-1. XRP is Ripple’s native [cryptocurrency]
-(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency) with a fixed supply that
-decreases slowly over time, with no mining. XRP acts as a bridge currency, and
-pays for transaction fees that protect the network against spam.
-![XRP as a bridge currency](/images/vehicle_currency.png)
+Some of the directories under `src` are external repositories inlined via
+git-subtree. See the corresponding README for more details.
 
-2. Pathfinding discovers cheap and efficient payment paths through multiple
-[order books](https://www.ripplecharts.com) allowing anyone to [trade](https://www.rippletrade.com) anything. When two accounts aren’t linked by relationships of trust, the Ripple pathfinding engine considers intermediate links and order books to produce a set of possible paths the transaction can take. When the payment is processed, the liquidity along these paths is iteratively consumed in best-first order.
-![Pathfinding from Dollars to Euro](/images/pathfinding.png)
+##For more information:
 
-3. [Consensus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1QVb1vlC0) confirms
-transactions in an atomic fashion, without mining, ensuring efficient use of
-resources.
+* [Ripple Knowledge Center](https://ripple.com/learn/)
+* [Ripple Developer Center](https://ripple.com/build/)
+* [Ripple Whitepapers & Reports](https://ripple.com/whitepapers-reports/)
+  * [Ripple Consensus Whitepaper](https://ripple.com/consensus-whitepaper/)
+  * [Ripple Solutions Guide](https://ripple.com/files/ripple_solutions_guide.pdf)
 
-[transact]: https://ripple.com/files/ripple-FIs.pdf
-[build]:    https://ripple.com/build/
-
-[transact.png]:   /images/transact.png
-[build.png]:      /images/build.png
-[contribute.png]: /images/contribute.png
-
-###Join The Ripple Community
-|![Transact][transact.png]|![Build][build.png]|![Contribute][contribute.png]|
-|:-----------------------:|:-----------------:|:---------------------------:|
-|[Transact on the fastest payment infrastructure][transact]|[Build Imaginative Apps][build]|Contribute to the Ripple Protocol Implementation|
-
-#rippled - Ripple P2P server
-
-##[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/ripple/rippled.png?branch=develop)](https://travis-ci.org/ripple/rippled)
-
-This is the repository for Ripple's `rippled`, reference P2P server.
-
-###Build instructions:
-* https://ripple.com/wiki/Rippled_build_instructions
-
-###Setup instructions:
-* https://ripple.com/wiki/Rippled_setup_instructions
-
-###Issues
-* https://ripplelabs.atlassian.net/browse/RIPD
-
-### Repository Contents
-
-#### ./bin
-Scripts and data files for Ripple integrators.
-
-#### ./build
-Intermediate and final build outputs.
-
-#### ./Builds
-Platform or IDE-specific project files.
-
-#### ./doc
-Documentation and example configuration files.
-
-#### ./src
-Source code directory. Some of the directories contained here are
-external repositories inlined via git-subtree, see the corresponding
-README for more details.
-
-#### ./test
-Javascript / Mocha tests.
-
-## License
-Ripple is open source and permissively licensed under the ISC license. See the
-LICENSE file for more details.
-
-###For more information:
-* Ripple Wiki - https://ripple.com/wiki/
-* Ripple Primer - https://ripple.com/ripple_primer.pdf
-* Ripple Primer (Market Making) - https://ripple.com/ripple-mm.pdf
-* Ripple Gateway Primer - https://ripple.com/ripple-gateways.pdf
-* Consensus - https://wiki.ripple.com/Consensus
+To learn about how Ripple is transforming global payments visit
+[https://ripple.com/contact/](https://ripple.com/contact/)
 
 - - -
 
 Copyright © 2015, Ripple Labs. All rights reserved.
 
-Portions of this document, including but not limited to the Ripple logo, images
-and image templates are the property of Ripple Labs and cannot be copied or
-used without permission.
+Portions of this document, including but not limited to the Ripple logo,
+images and image templates are the property of Ripple Labs and cannot be
+copied or used without permission.