David Schwartz, Ripple’s honorary chief technology officer and one of the key figures behind the XRP Ledger, has revealed a dramatic reduction in his personal XRP holdings. In a disclosure on social media platform X, Schwartz said his position fell from approximately 26 million XRP at its peak to roughly 2 million XRP today.
At current market prices, the decline represents a drop from about $26 million in value to around $2 million. The statement came in response to community questions about the size of his personal holdings, reigniting discussion around executive token management and insider sentiment.
Schwartz stepped down from his full-time chief technology officer role at Ripple late last year and now serves as a board member. While he remains an influential voice in the XRP community, he did not provide a specific timeline for the sales or transfers, nor did he give a single clear reason for the reduction.
In earlier statements from 2026, Schwartz said he had gradually reduced his XRP exposure as the price rose, pointing to risk management as a major factor. He added that holding large amounts of cryptocurrency posed a significant personal risk and that he preferred to avoid unnecessary risk. The latest disclosure therefore reflects a total change over time rather than a single market transaction.
Although high-profile insider selling can sometimes influence market perception, the amount is relatively small compared with XRP’s total supply. The news does not directly affect Ripple’s operations or the technical fundamentals of the XRP Ledger, and long-term significance is likely limited.
