Ripple’s David Schwartz Reveals XRP Holdings Fell 92% From Peak

Ripple CTO emeritus David Schwartz has revealed that his XRP holdings have dropped sharply from their peak, while confirming that he still owns a significant amount of the cryptocurrency.

Responding to a question on X about whether he had sold all of his XRP, Schwartz said he currently holds approximately 2 million XRP. At his peak, the longtime Ripple executive previously estimated that he owned around 26 million XRP, meaning his holdings have declined by roughly 92%.

“I think I’m down from about 26 million at my peak to about 2 million now,” Schwartz said.

His use of “I think” suggests the numbers are approximate rather than an exact disclosure of his current XRP balance. Still, the statement makes clear that Schwartz has not completely exited his XRP position.

Schwartz did not explain exactly how his holdings fell from 26 million XRP to around 2 million. The reduction therefore cannot necessarily be attributed entirely to market sales. Transfers, spending, gifts or other transactions may also have contributed to the decline.

The disclosure adds another chapter to Schwartz’s history of discussing his early cryptocurrency investments and sales. One of his most notable decisions involved 40,000 ETH, which he purchased at approximately $0.311 per token.

Schwartz later sold the entire Ethereum position for around $42,000, generating a substantial return at the time. However, ETH subsequently experienced an extraordinary price rally, turning the sale into one of his most frequently discussed crypto regrets.

According to Schwartz, he used the proceeds to purchase solar panels for his former home in Oakland, California.

The Ripple veteran has also acknowledged selling some XRP at around $0.10 and Ethereum near $1. He has attributed those early sales largely to his preference for reducing financial risk, while admitting in hindsight that he wishes he had retained more of those cryptocurrency holdings.

Despite substantially reducing his XRP position over the years, Schwartz’s latest disclosure confirms that he still holds roughly 2 million XRP.