Ex-Ripple CTO David Schwartz says his XRP stack fell from 26 million to about 3 million
In brief
- David Schwartz said on X his XRP fell from around 26 million at peak to around 3 million.
- XRP reduction totals about 23 million tokens, more than 88% below peak, U.Today calculated.
- Schwartz said he also cut Bitcoin from about 1,500 BTC to 1 BTC.
- Ethereum holdings went from about 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH, per U.Today.
- Timing of most sales and the proceeds remain unclear, U.Today said.
From 26 million to about 3 million
Schwartz didn't present it as news.
"It's not a secret. I think I'm down from a high of around 26 million XRP to around 3 million XRP," David Schwartz divulged.
U.Today calculated the drop at about 23 million XRP, or more than 88% below his peak holdings. The outlet said it isn't clear when he made the bulk of those sales or how much he made from them, so the figures describe a reduction over time (not a single trade).
The rest of his crypto shrank even further. Schwartz said he'd reduced his Bitcoin from about 1,500 BTC to 1 BTC and his Ethereum from about 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH, according to U.Today. He still holds a significant amount of Ripple stock, the outlet reported.
A long record of planned selling
None of this came out of nowhere. U.Today previously reported that Schwartz admitted to selling around 2.5 million XRP in 2025, and he said most of those tokens were received in 2020 and 2023. He said he paid around $1.7 million in capital gains taxes on those sales.
In July, Schwartz said he and his wife had decided to sell some of their crypto whenever prices hit new all-time highs. More recently, he described a written sales plan that he sets up with a lawyer at least 30 days before selling XRP, according to the same prior reporting. He's also said he hasn't bought XRP in a long time.
Frustration in the XRP community
The disclosure comes as frustration grows in the XRP community over the token's weak price performance, U.Today said. Earlier in the month, an XRP holder asked Schwartz directly whether he was somehow to blame for the token's decline.
His answer was that he'd probably had very little impact.
