The Crypto Desk desk. Editor: Sam Daodu.
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David Schwartz, Ripple’s former chief technology officer and a co-creator of the XRP Ledger, shared his crypto holdings on X on November 10, 2026. He once held around 26 million XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), and his stash has dwindled to about 3 million. He cut 1,500 Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) to just 1 and reduced his Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) holdings from 40,000 to 6. At current prices, that’s a drop from about $221 million to roughly $3.3 million.
On November 11, XRP trades at $1.06, with no noticeable reaction to Schwartz’s disclosures. The cryptocurrency is down 2% over the past 24 hours and 17.8% over the week, continuing a decline that began on November 4, well before Schwartz’s announcement. Bitcoin trades at $73,899, while Ethereum is at $2,054.
So, why did David Schwartz sell off over 90% of his crypto? And what does this mean for XRP holders?
Schwartz Sold Because He Hates Risk, Including in Ripple Stock
In his posts, Schwartz succinctly explained his motivation in three words, “I hate risk.” This attitude applies not only to his crypto investments but also to his holdings in Ripple’s stock. He prefers to avoid putting too much of his wealth into any single volatile asset, whether that be a cryptocurrency or a company’s stock.
Schwartz clarified that his financial activities were not hidden. He previously revealed that in 2025, he sold approximately 2.5 million XRP and paid about $1.7 million in capital gains taxes for the profit from those sales. Each XRP sale was executed according to a pre-established plan, approved with his attorney at least 30 days in advance. These plans are a common practice among insiders to demonstrate that they aren’t trading based on confidential information.
However, his recent disclosures leave some details unclear. He didn’t specify the dates for most of his sales after 2025, and we don’t know the prices at which he sold most of his assets. Overall, he sold around 23 million XRP, which accounts for about 88% of his peak holdings.
He Sold Bitcoin and Ethereum Even More Completely Than XRP
Schwartz’s sales pattern was not uniform. He sold nearly all of his 1,500 Bitcoin, keeping just 1, and reduced his Ethereum holdings down to 6 from 40,000, while maintaining around 3 million XRP valued at approximately $3.2 million. If he were to express a lack of confidence in XRP, one might expect it to be sold off first, yet it appears to be the last asset he chose to hold.
Because Schwartz is an insider, readers should consider his perspective carefully. He still owns a significant amount of Ripple stock, which clouds his public statements regarding XRP. While Schwartz has previously argued that XRP should increase in value with the success of the XRP Ledger, his recent posts did not indicate any changes in his outlook for the token.
XRP Has Fallen for Other, Older Reasons
XRP’s price drop can be attributed to several longstanding factors. Ripple continues to distribute XRP from its reserves, contributing to a steady supply that we discussed in our analysis of Ripple’s monthly sales. XRP has also lagged behind the broader crypto market. Over the last week, XRP’s value fell 17.8%, compared to Bitcoin’s 5.6% decrease and Ethereum’s 11.6% drop.
Year-to-date, XRP is down 42.6% and currently trades below its 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day moving averages, which track average closing prices over those time frames. With a market cap of about $67 billion, XRP remains the sixth-largest cryptocurrency, meaning Schwartz’s remaining 3 million XRP is only a tiny fraction of the overall market.
What Does Schwartz’s Selling Mean for XRP Holders?
Schwartz’s decision to sell reflects his personal financial strategy but offers limited insight into XRP’s price trajectory. Ripple can point to Schwartz as a co-creator who followed legal selling procedures and paid his taxes, which may bolster its reputation with regulators but doesn’t directly move XRP’s price. If Schwartz’s next update shows a decrease in his XRP holdings while he retains his Ripple stock, it would show he prefers the company to the coin.
His choice to sell such a large portion of his holdings did come at a cost. Schwartz reflected that this selling is why he hasn’t reached billionaire status, a goal he says he never pursued fervently, adding, “I’m almost exactly as successful as I was trying to be.” Should XRP recover and move past its 200-day moving average, it might signal that traders have moved on from his selling.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst and the editor of 24/7 Wall St.'s Crypto Desk, where he covers Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, Solana and the altcoins investors search for most. His work focuses on price levels, spot ETF flows, on-chain data and the regulatory decisions that move crypto markets, written so a first-time buyer and a seasoned trader can both use it.
Sam has written about crypto professionally since 2019 and has published more than 2,000 articles. Before joining 24/7 Wall St., he wrote for crypto media outlets and Web3 companies and ghostwrote for crypto founders and token launches. His analysis is syndicated on Yahoo Finance, MSN and AOL and has been cited by other crypto news sites. He also founded MacLabs Marketing, a content and personal branding agency for crypto founders and executives.
When he isn't reading charts, Sam is usually at the gym or watching One Piece, a series he maintains has better tokenomics than most altcoins.
