Ripple’s Former CTO David Schwartz Confirms He Sold Most of His XRP: What It Means for the Market

The XRP Ledger architect says his personal holdings fell from about 26 million XRP to roughly 2 million XRP, a shift he attributes to risk management, not a loss of confidence.

A Rare Admission From a Leading Ripple Figure

David Schwartz, the former chief technology officer of Ripple and one of the most influential technical minds in the cryptocurrency industry, has offered an unusually candid look at his personal XRP holdings. In response to a direct question on X, Schwartz said that his XRP position once reached approximately 26 million tokens, but that he now holds around 2 million XRP. For anyone familiar with the digital asset world, the admission was striking. This is not a casual retail investor talking about a token in a speculative portfolio. Schwartz is a foundational figure in the history of the XRP Ledger, the blockchain-based network designed to enable fast, low-cost cross-border payments. He helped shape the technology that Ripple built its business around, and he has spent years engaging publicly with the XRP community as one of the project’s most recognizable voices. Under his well-known online alias, Schwartz has patiently explained consensus mechanisms, payment protocols, and network upgrades to a global audience. That history makes his latest disclosure all the more significant. When a person who helped create a digital asset reveals that they have dramatically reduced their personal position in that asset, the news naturally sparks conversation. The numbers themselves are large enough to capture attention, but the context is what makes the story matter. Schwartz is not an outsider looking in. He is someone whose work helped define what XRP is today. His decision to speak openly about his holdings offers a rare glimpse into the financial choices of a major industry insider and raises an obvious question: why would one of the most prominent figures in the XRP ecosystem sell such a large portion of his personal stake? The answer, it turns out, has less to do with market predictions and more to do with a disciplined approach to personal risk.

The Scale of the Sell-Down: 24 Million XRP and Counting

The math behind Schwartz’s disclosure is simple but the implications are substantial. If his XRP holdings peaked at roughly 26 million tokens and currently stand at roughly 2 million tokens, he has reduced his position by approximately 24 million XRP. That represents a reduction of about 92 percent. In dollar terms, the value of that reduction depends entirely on when and at what price the sales occurred, and Schwartz did not provide that level of detail. Still, even at conservative valuations, a position of 26 million XRP would have been worth a significant amount of money. During periods of strong market momentum, it would have represented a fortune by almost any standard. The fact that Schwartz has now reduced that position to around 2 million XRP suggests a deliberate effort to avoid concentrating his personal wealth in a single digital asset. It is also worth noting that Schwartz has never described himself as a short-term trader. In previous public remarks, he explained that he preferred to reduce his holdings gradually as the price of XRP rose. That kind of strategy requires discipline, especially in a market known for emotional swings and speculative frenzy. It means accepting that a token might continue climbing after you have sold. It also means recognizing that no one can consistently predict the future direction of prices. For Schwartz, the decision to scale back appears to have been driven by a desire to protect his financial security, not by any belief that XRP was doomed to fail. In fact, his ongoing engagement with the XRP ecosystem suggests the opposite. He has continued to speak about the technology with enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity. His personal portfolio decisions, however, reflect a more cautious approach to the realities of living with concentrated crypto exposure.

Why Risk Management Drove David Schwartz’s Decision

Risk management has long been a central theme in Schwartz’s public commentary about his own cryptocurrency holdings. In earlier statements made in 2026, he was explicit about his reasoning. He said that he preferred to reduce his XRP position as the token’s price rose, partly because holding a large amount of any cryptocurrency posed a significant risk for him personally. He also admitted that he disliked taking unnecessary risks. That kind of honesty is rare in an industry often dominated by hype and overconfidence. Many people assume that the creators of a cryptocurrency must be the biggest holders of that cryptocurrency, and that they would never sell because selling would undermine their credibility. Schwartz’s approach demonstrates that the opposite can be true. Founders, executives, and early employees often face enormous pressure to diversify their holdings, not only because they need liquidity for everyday life, but because putting too much of one’s net worth into a volatile digital asset is genuinely dangerous. Cryptocurrency markets are notoriously unpredictable. Prices can be influenced by regulatory decisions, macroeconomic conditions, exchange listings, security breaches, or simple shifts in sentiment. A token that appears unstoppable can suffer a sudden decline with very little warning. For someone like Schwartz, who has spent years observing the inner workings of the industry, these risks are not abstract. They are part of the daily reality of the digital asset market. By reducing his XRP holdings, he has chosen a more conservative path, one that prioritizes financial stability over potential upside. That choice should not be interpreted as a lack of faith in XRP. Schwartz has continued to support the XRP Ledger and the broader ecosystem. But he has made it clear that his personal tolerance for risk is not the same as his professional excitement about the technology.

What the Statement Does Not Reveal About His XRP Sales

Despite the clarity of Schwartz’s numbers, his statement leaves many important questions unanswered. There is no detailed public information about the timing of his sales, the prices at which he sold, or the specific events that may have triggered each transaction. The former Ripple executive did not indicate whether he sold most of his XRP during a single market cycle or gradually over several years. He did not mention tax planning, estate planning, or any other personal considerations that may have played a role. The disclosure is best understood as a cumulative snapshot: it shows the difference between his peak XRP holdings and his current XRP holdings. It is not a transaction-by-transaction account of his trading activity. That distinction matters. In a market where a single vague comment can spark speculation, Schwartz’s statement should not be read as a signal that he is currently selling XRP or that he expects the price to fall. He simply answered a question about his holdings with an honest approximation. The absence of specific sale dates also means that outsiders cannot calculate his average sale price or determine whether his timing was better than that of the average investor. There is no evidence that he was attempting to time the market. Instead, his previous comments suggest a more measured approach: gradually reducing exposure when prices rose, rather than trying to predict the next big move. That kind of behavior is more typical of experienced investors than of speculative traders. Schwartz has essentially taken a disciplined, long-term view of his personal finances, and his disclosure reflects a willingness to be transparent about a subject that most industry insiders would prefer to avoid.

Why the XRP Community Is Paying Close Attention

In the XRP community, few figures carry as much weight as David Schwartz. He is widely respected not only for his technical contributions but also for his willingness to engage with supporters and critics alike. When he speaks, people listen. And when he speaks about his personal XRP holdings, the reaction is understandably intense. The latest disclosure has fueled conversations about how insiders manage their cryptocurrency portfolios and what that means for the projects they helped build. Some XRP supporters may view Schwartz’s dramatic reduction as a negative signal, wondering whether it reflects a lack of confidence in the token’s future. Others may interpret it as a responsible example of risk management from someone who has always been straightforward about the unpredictability of the market. The likely truth is that both interpretations contain an element of reality. Schwartz has not abandoned the XRP ecosystem, and there is no evidence that he is trying to dump his remaining tokens. But he has made a personal decision to reduce his exposure, and that decision deserves to be respected. It is also important to remember the broader context in which this disclosure arrives. Ripple, the company most closely associated with XRP, has spent years dealing with regulatory uncertainty, including a high-profile legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That environment has made every statement from Ripple-affiliated figures a subject of intense scrutiny. Schwartz’s decision to reveal his personal holdings may reflect an effort to provide clarity in a community that has learned to be skeptical. It also serves as a reminder that the individuals behind a cryptocurrency project are not obligated to hold their tokens forever. Their personal financial decisions should not be mistaken for professional recommendations or market forecasts.

A Broader Lesson in a Volatile Cryptocurrency Market

Ultimately, Schwartz’s remarks offer a lesson that reaches far beyond XRP. The cryptocurrency market is still relatively young, and the people who helped build it are often walking through uncharted territory. They face the same emotional and financial challenges as everyday investors, but with far more pressure, visibility, and scrutiny. Schwartz’s decision to reduce his XRP holdings by roughly 92 percent is a reminder that even the architects of a digital asset are not immune to the dangers of concentrated wealth. It takes real discipline to acknowledge that a position has become too large, especially when that position is tied to something you helped create and genuinely believe in. By speaking openly about his choices, Schwartz has provided a rare window into the mindset of a crypto insider. His approach is not about rejecting XRP. It is about recognizing that personal financial security matters more than maintaining a token stake for the sake of appearances. In a market defined by dramatic highs and painful lows, that kind of measured thinking is valuable. It encourages investors to ask themselves hard questions about their own risk tolerance, their portfolio diversification, and their long-term goals. It also reinforces the idea that the best financial decisions are often made calmly, long before a crisis forces the issue. David Schwartz may no longer hold the massive XRP stack he once had, but his credibility and influence remain intact. His latest statement, while simple on its surface, adds an important layer to the ongoing conversation about how to navigate the unpredictable world of digital assets. As always, this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.