David Schwartz revealed that his XRP holdings fell from 26 million to 3 million. He also shared details of his Bitcoin and Ethereum sales.
Published: November 11, 2026 - 10:47 AM
Reading time: 4 min
Former Ripple Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz revealed on November 10, 2026, that his personal XRP holdings had declined from approximately 26 million tokens in the past to just 3 million. The reduction of roughly 23 million XRP represents more than 88% of his previous holdings. According to a report published by U.Today on November 11, Schwartz has also disposed of nearly all his Bitcoin and Ethereum holdings over the years. The former executive's statements have reignited discussions among XRP investors regarding cryptocurrency sales by company executives.
How Much Have David Schwartz's XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum Holdings Declined?
David Schwartz, one of the original architects of the XRP Ledger, stated in a post shared on his X account that the amount of cryptocurrency he owns has declined significantly over time.
According to the figures provided by Schwartz, his Bitcoin holdings have fallen from approximately 1,500 BTC to just 1 BTC. The change in his Ethereum holdings is even more striking. Schwartz revealed that he once owned approximately 40,000 ETH but now holds only 6 ETH.
These figures do not indicate a single large-scale sale. Instead, they reflect the amounts remaining after transactions conducted over different periods. Schwartz did not disclose when most of the sales occurred or how much total revenue he generated from them.
Furthermore, it would be inaccurate to classify the entire reduction in his holdings as direct market sales. In previous statements, he had also mentioned giving and transferring some XRP to other individuals. Therefore, the 23 million XRP difference does not represent the size of a single verified sale.
Schwartz Sold 2.5 Million XRP in 2025 and Paid $1.7 Million in Taxes
Schwartz's statements on November 9 also shed light on the financial scale of his previous transactions. The former Ripple executive reported that he sold approximately 2.5 million XRP throughout 2025 and paid around $1.7 million in capital gains taxes related to those sales.
Schwartz explained that he had acquired most of the XRP sold in 2020 and 2023, emphasizing that the transactions were carried out under a predetermined plan.
According to his statements dated November 9, the sale plans are prepared in writing with an attorney at least 30 days before the transactions take place. Schwartz aims to use this approach to address accusations that he may have traded using material nonpublic information about potential technical issues involving the XRP Ledger.
The former executive also explained that risk aversion was the primary motivation behind his sales. He had previously stated that he and his wife had agreed to sell a certain portion of their cryptocurrency holdings whenever prices reached new all-time highs.
Another important detail in Schwartz's statements is his claim that he has not purchased additional XRP for a considerable period. Nevertheless, he does not associate his selling strategy with a definitively negative outlook for XRP's future.
Schwartz Continues to Hold Ripple Shares
Despite selling a substantial portion of his cryptocurrency holdings, Schwartz has not severed his financial ties with Ripple. The former executive confirmed that he still owns a significant amount of equity in the company.
There is an important distinction here for XRP investors. Owning Ripple shares is not the same as directly holding XRP. XRP is an independent cryptocurrency that operates on the XRP Ledger, while Ripple shares represent an ownership interest in the company.
Moreover, according to Ripple's official statement, the company is not publicly traded. Therefore, there is no direct one-to-one relationship between the value of Schwartz's Ripple shares and the market price of XRP.
Schwartz stepped away from his role in Ripple's day-to-day operations toward the end of 2025. However, he did not completely sever his ties with the company. He continues to be listed as a board member on Ripple's official leadership page.
Assessing the impact of these disclosures on XRP's price is more complicated. The lack of information about when the sales occurred and at what prices prevents a direct connection from being established with current price movements. Furthermore, changes in Schwartz's personal holdings do not mean that Ripple's corporate XRP reserves have declined by the same amount.
Kriptofoni's Assessment
David Schwartz's statements demonstrate that the personal investment decisions of cryptocurrency project executives do not always align with investor expectations.
Schwartz's decision to sell his holdings over several years to reduce risk does not necessarily mean that he holds a definitively negative view of XRP's future. Nevertheless, the substantial reduction in the cryptocurrency holdings of someone who played a major role in developing the XRP Ledger is a development that investors are likely to examine closely.
The most important consideration is not merely the size of the sales but their timing and how they affected the market. To assess current selling pressure, exchange inflows, trading volumes and on-chain transfers need to be examined separately. The available statements do not establish that Schwartz's past transactions are responsible for XRP's current price movements.
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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are high-risk; make investment decisions based on your own research.
Content Editor and Writer
Dr. Mesut İnan is a researcher, academic and crypto journalist who has been producing content about cryptocurrencies since 2018. He brings a different perspective to the industry by combining his expertise in sociology with the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Before joining Kriptofoni as co-founder, content editor and writer, İnan worked for several cryptocurrency media platforms: he was an editor and writer at Kriptokoin from 2018 to 2023 and at COINTURK from 2023 to 2024. İnan made a valuable contribution to the ecosystem with his book on Bitcoin, "Bitcoin Sen Bizim Her Şeyimizsin" (Bitcoin, You Are Our Everything). Alongside his academic background, his regular analyses, news and commentary have made him one of the well-known names in cryptocurrency journalism in Turkey. İnan continues his work as a writer and educator and remains a prominent expert voice in the cryptocurrency field.
