David Schwartz Reduced His XRP Holdings from 26 Million to 3 Million Tokens

David Schwartz, former CTO of Ripple and one of the creators of the XRP Ledger, revealed the size of his cryptocurrency portfolio. In a post on X dated November 10, 2026, he stated that he reduced his XRP holdings from about 26 million to 3 million tokens. Meanwhile, his Bitcoin reserves decreased from 1,500 BTC to 1 BTC, and Ethereum from 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH.

"It's no secret," Schwartz wrote, listing his past and current assets. He emphasized that the sale of cryptocurrencies occurred gradually, not as part of a single recent transaction. The former CTO of Ripple did not disclose the exact dates and prices of all transactions.

Why David Schwartz Sold XRP

According to Schwartz, the reduction of his cryptocurrency portfolio is related to his personal attitude towards financial risks. He previously mentioned an agreement with his wife to sell part of the assets upon reaching new all-time highs in their value. This approach allowed him to gradually lock in profits without maintaining maximum dependence on the market's further movement.

Back in July 2026, Schwartz admitted that he regretted some early sales of XRP and Ethereum, as these cryptocurrencies significantly appreciated afterward. However, he explained his decisions by his unwillingness to take excessive risks and emphasized that such caution is characteristic of him not only regarding digital assets.

In the discussion on November 10, Schwartz also linked his investment strategy to personal financial goals. According to him, caution was one of the reasons he did not accumulate billionaire wealth. However, he noted that he achieved approximately the level of success he initially aimed for.

In a separate message, Schwartz mentioned that he had not purchased XRP for a long time and had sold most of his digital assets over the years. However, he did not declare an intention to completely abandon cryptocurrency investments.

Schwartz Retained a Stake in Ripple

Despite significantly reducing his holdings of XRP, BTC and ETH, Schwartz continues to own shares in Ripple. According to him, the stake in the company remains significant and inherently involves a higher level of risk than he would like to take.

However, Ripple shares and XRP tokens represent different assets. Owning shares provides a stake in the company, which deals with payment infrastructure, digital asset custody, and other financial products. XRP is an independent crypto asset used in the XRP Ledger network, with its value formed in the market.

In March 2026, Ripple announced a share buyback program worth up to $750 million. The deal implied a company valuation of approximately $50 billion. However, Schwartz did not disclose the number of shares he owns, making it impossible to determine the value of his corporate stake based on this valuation.

After stepping down as CTO at the end of 2025, Schwartz received the status of CTO Emeritus and retained a seat on Ripple's board of directors. He also continues to participate in discussions on the technical development of the XRP Ledger, of which he is one of the original architects.

What the Sales Mean for XRP Holders

The disclosure of Schwartz's personal portfolio sparked discussion among X users. Some members of the cryptocurrency community perceived the reduction of his XRP holdings as a potential negative signal for the token. However, the former Ripple executive explained his actions as an individual approach to risk management, not a change in the assessment of XRP Ledger's prospects.

Schwartz previously noted that XRP brought him more personal wealth than other cryptocurrencies. However, his current holdings of about 3 million tokens indicate that he has not completely abandoned XRP.

The reduction of one of the XRP Ledger developers' cryptocurrency portfolios alone does not determine the token's future dynamics. Schwartz's sales data covers an extended period, and there is no information that his operations caused the recent decline in XRP's price.