Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz reveals how his crypto portfolio has changed, with his Bitcoin holdings falling from 1,500 BTC to one.

Table of contents
  • Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz has sold nearly all his crypto holdings, reducing his XRP stash from 26 million to 3 million tokens
  • Schwartz's Bitcoin holdings fell from 1,500 BTC to 1 BTC, while his Ethereum balance dropped from 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH
  • Schwartz attributed the sell-offs to personal risk management and a long-standing agreement with his wife to sell portions of their crypto holdings as prices reached new highs

Ex-Ripple CTO David Schwartz has revealed that he has sold nearly all his cryptocurrency holdings, reducing his exposure to XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum. The longtime XRP Ledger architect now holds around 3 million XRP, one BTC and six ETH, compared with millions of tokens at his peak.

David Schwartz sells off crypto holdings over risk tolerance

Schwartz shared the figures in a series of posts on X on November 10, explaining how his cryptocurrency portfolio has changed over the years.

According to Schwartz, his XRP holdings have fallen from approximately 26 million tokens to 3 million. His Bitcoin balance has also declined from around 1,500 BTC to just one BTC, while his Ethereum holdings dropped from approximately 40,000 ETH to six ETH.

The figures represent reductions of 88% in XRP, 99.9% in Bitcoin, and nearly 100% in Ethereum. At his peak, his holdings gave him an estimated net worth of around $200 million, with his personal crypto stash among the largest in the sector.

Schwartz attributed his decision to sell most of his digital assets to his personal risk tolerance rather than a loss of confidence in the cryptocurrency market. The Ripple veteran has repeatedly described himself as uncomfortable with financial risk, even though his early involvement in the cryptocurrency industry generated substantial wealth.

Back in June, he disclosed that he had an agreement with his wife to sell portions of their cryptocurrency holdings whenever assets reached new all-time highs. The arrangement meant Schwartz gradually reduced his exposure as cryptocurrency prices appreciated over the years.

In earlier comments, he also disclosed that he had not purchased XRP in quite some time and had deliberately moved most of his wealth away from cryptocurrency exposure. Schwartz additionally revealed that his XRP sales followed written plans established with legal counsel at least 30 days before execution.

Ripple stock remains a significant part of his portfolio

Despite selling nearly all his cryptocurrency, Schwartz still holds a substantial amount of Ripple equity. He acknowledged that his remaining stake in the privately held company represents more financial exposure than he would ideally prefer.

His position also highlights the distinction between owning Ripple shares and holding XRP tokens. Although Ripple operates within the XRP ecosystem, its private company shares represent a separate investment from the publicly traded cryptocurrency.

Schwartz has previously argued that Ripple's success and XRP's long-term value should not become unnecessarily dependent on each other. He also pushed back against suggestions that his decision to sell cryptocurrency represents a negative assessment of XRP's future.

Schwartz stepped down as Ripple CTO after 13 years at the end of 2025, transitioning to a CTO Emeritus role and joining Ripple’s board of directors. Since exiting the CTO role, Schwartz has operated his own XRPL node while researching other use cases for XRP.

Hassan Shittu is a Web3 and finance journalist and editor with over six years of experience writing for crypto-native, stock market and tech publications. A five-year Web3 trader with hands-on experience in meme coins and NFTs, he brings firsthand market knowledge and a technical writing background to his coverage. Outside of crypto, he enjoys football.