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The growth of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) on the XRP Ledger is bringing increased attention to one of the industry’s most persistent challenges. While new financial applications create opportunities for growth and innovation, they also introduce potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited if adequate safeguards are not in place. A newly proposed XRPL upgrade aimed at mitigating flash loan attacks signals a growing commitment to building a more secure foundation for the network’s expanding DeFi ecosystem. How The Proposed Safeguards Could Protect Liquidity Pools The XRP Ledger is taking steps to address one of decentralized finance’s most persistent security challenges. Crypto analyst CryptoSensei revealed on X that a new XRPL proposal aims to reduce the risk of flash loan attacks, a type of exploit that has already cost DeFi protocols hundreds of millions of dollars across the industry. Related Reading: XRP’s Latest Move To DeFi: What This Upgrade Will Mean For Users And Investors Flash loans allow attackers to borrow large amounts of capital within a single transaction, and are often used to manipulate prices and liquidity pools. The proposal introduces safeguards designed to make such attacks significantly harder to execute.  However, as DeFi activity continues to expand on the Ledger, security improvements are becoming increasingly important. Stronger protections are essential for attracting developers, users, and institutional capital to the ecosystem. As lending, trading, tokenization, and other DeFi applications continue to expand on the XRPL, security will become a much bigger priority. According to CryptoSensei, every new feature creates new opportunities, but the innovation can also introduce new attack vectors if the infrastructure is not well prepared. The challenge is no longer just building DeFi, but building DeFi that institutions, developers, and users can trust to operate securely and reliably at scale is a completely different one. David Schwartz Explains XRP Ledger Defense Against State-Level Threats One of the XRP Ledger’s most overlooked strengths is the ability to remain operational under extreme conditions. Analyst Chloe has noted that the XRPL network was designed for the worst-case scenarios. Former Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO), David Schwartz, recently outlined how the XRP Ledger can withstand even state-level attacks targeting its validator network. Related Reading: XRP’s Utility Narrative Extends Beyond Conventional Market Cap Metrics Among the features highlighted are the ability for validators to operate anonymously through privacy-preserving networks such as Tor and 12P, as well as systems that allow reserve operators to replace targeted nodes as necessary. The XRPL Negative Unique Node List (UNL) mechanism is also designed to help maintain consensus running even during periods of disruptions. Chloe argues that while many blockchain networks emphasize decentralization in theory, XRPL is designed to survive censorship, coordinated attacks, and hostile operating environments. This level of resilience is what institutions, banks, and governments need for mission-critical financial infrastructure. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

A user lost 6,000 XRP after falling for a scheme that promised to double their funds. That case is one of several being reported as scammers step up their efforts against XRP Ledger users, prompting a public warning from Ripple’s former chief technology officer. Related Reading: Bitcoin Faces Major Test As 37% Recovery Collides With Bear Resistance Fake Offers Hiding In Plain Sight David Schwartz, known online as JoelKatz, posted the alert on X after what he described as a sharp rise in fake airdrop and giveaway activity. He warned that nearly all such offers seen across social platforms are fraudulent, and that anyone claiming to be him on Instagram, Telegram, or similar apps is almost certainly running a scam. The warning came alongside reports from others in the XRP space. XRPL blockchain explorer Bithomp flagged a specific trick where scammers send unsolicited NFTs to user wallets. SCAM ALERT: There has been a huge escalation lately in airdrop and giveaway scams targetting XRPL users lately. Any such posts you see are likely scams. Anyone claiming to be me on Instagram, Telegram, or almost anywhere else is likely a scammer. Stay safe XRP fam. — David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz (@JoelKatz) May 14, 2026 The NFTs carry misleading messages — one example read “Verification: Safe XRPL verify message” — and are paired with hidden Buy Offers. When a user signs or accepts the offer, their XRP or other assets can be drained immediately. Wietse Wind from the Xaman wallet team has also urged users to cancel any unknown offers without delay. What Scammers Are Actually Doing The methods are not complex but they are effective. Scammers build fake social media profiles impersonating Schwartz, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and projects tied to the XRPL. One fake Schwartz profile on Instagram was flagged by a community member last month and reported to the platform. Phishing plays a large role too. Fraudulent websites prompt users to connect their wallets or approve transactions under the guise of claiming rewards. Once done, the wallet is emptied. Some operations still use the oldest trick in the book — asking users to send XRP first with the promise of receiving more back. The scams are not exploiting flaws in the XRP Ledger itself. They rely entirely on deceiving people. Be aware of new scams on the #XRPL. Scammers are tricking users into signing NFT Buy Offers with misleading memos like: “Verification: Safe XRPL verify message.” Those offers can get accepted and drain huge amounts of $XRP. Always double-check: – what transaction type you are… pic.twitter.com/nNl6Mj4Ryl — Bithomp (@bithomp) May 11, 2026 Related Reading: XRP Bulls Gain Momentum As ETF Inflows Reach Multi-Month High Protect Your Wallet Before It’s Too Late Schwartz made clear that no legitimate organization runs surprise giveaways or asks users to send funds, share private keys, or reveal seed phrases. His verified X account is the only place users should look for communication from him. For protection, users are advised to avoid unknown links, refuse to connect wallets to unverified websites, and report suspicious accounts. Tools from Bithomp and Xaman can help users review and cancel pending offers before any damage is done. Acting fast after a scam occurs may limit losses, but full recovery is rarely possible. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Crypto pundit BarriC has declared that XRP was never designed to be cheap, given its projected utility among institutional players. He also indicated that the altcoin could reach at least $1,000 as it continues to gain greater adoption among these institutions.  Crypto Pundit Says XRP Not Designed To Be Cheap In an X post, BarriC stated that XPR was never designed to be cheap and that it was designed to move institutional value. He gave an example of how a larger amount of XRP will be needed if an institution wants to execute a $1 million cross-border transaction. Specifically, he mentioned that such a transaction would require 200,000 XRP at $5 per XRP, whereas it would require only 20 XRP if the altcoin were trading at $50,000 per coin.  Related Reading: XRP At $21.5 Isn’t A Bet: Why This Analyst Says A Measured Move Is Coming The pundit further remarked that while retail hopes that XRP will remain at a lower price, institutions are looking at how they can move billions of dollars with as few coins as possible. In line with this, BarriC declared that a $2 XRP price tag doesn’t solve global liquidity, and neither does a $5 or $10 price solve institutional settlement.  BarriC also mentioned that price stops negotiating with retail once an asset becomes required, and that the price adjusts to scale accordingly. The pundit suggested that XRP will need to reach at least $1,000 to become fit for institutional use. He also indicated that the token could reach $10,000 and $50,000 as it continues to scale.  In another X post, he said that an XRP rally to between $2 and $10 is just the beginning, while a rally to between $100 and $1,000 is the start of the shift from retail to adoption. He further remarked that a rise to between $1,000 and $10,000 marks the point at which adoption becomes a necessity. Meanwhile, a rally between $10,000 and $50,000 is where XRP exists within the global financial infrastructure.  Former Ripple CTO Casts Doubt Over The Altcoin Reaching $10,000 Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz previously addressed speculation about a potential XRP rally to $10,000, suggesting it was impossible. In an X post, he stated that if there were a few very rich and rational people who believed that there was a 1% chance that XRP could reach $10,000 in years, they would have bid it up to at least $20.  Related Reading: Ripple’s Eyes $5 Trillion Master Account, What This Would Mean For XRP Crypto pundit Pumpius reacted to the post, noting that the former Ripple CTO dropped $20 as the rational bid for XRP believers while he sold his ETH around $1. He added that applying the 2,300x ETH multiple to the $10 tag could mean that XRP could reach $46,000.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.46, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

David Schwartz once sold 40,000 Ethereum tokens for $1.05 each. That trade netted him $42,000. Those same tokens are worth roughly $94 million today. Related Reading: Trump-Linked WLFI Files Major Defamation Lawsuit Against Billionaire Justin Sun A Pattern Of Early Exits It wasn’t a one-time call. Schwartz, the former chief technology officer of Ripple, also held more than 1,000 Bitcoin at one point. He sold the bulk of it at $1,000 per coin, then cleared out most of what remained at $7,500. He now holds less than one BTC. His XRP story follows a similar arc — he sold most of his holdings when the token hit $0.10, having never believed it would climb to $0.25. Those disclosures have drawn scrutiny from corners of the XRP community, with some pointing to his early exits as evidence of poor judgment. The criticism sharpened recently when Schwartz publicly questioned whether XRP could ever reach $100 or $10,000 — price targets that many in the community treat as realistic. Everyone had the same opportunity to buy and sell XRP that I did. I did the same thing with bitcoin and ETH and nobody seems to have a problem with that. I utterly reject the idea that selling is somehow morally inferior to buying and have advocated that everyone sell when it’s… — David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz (@JoelKatz) May 5, 2026 What Schwartz Actually Said His response came on X. He pushed back on the idea that selling an asset makes someone less committed or somehow at fault. According to Schwartz, every investor had the same chance to buy and sell XRP that he did. He also noted that he applied the same approach to Bitcoin and Ethereum, and that neither of those sales drew the same level of backlash. Schwartz went further, saying he has long believed that people should sell when it benefits them financially. Reports indicate he traced that view back to his early days in the Bitcoin community, where that principle was part of the culture that drew him in. One community member argued that builders have a duty to hold the tokens tied to their projects. Schwartz rejected that reasoning outright, calling it illogical. He did confirm, though, that he still holds more than 1 million XRP. Related Reading: Long-Dormant Bitcoin Whale Transfers 11,300 BTC, Sparking Market Speculation The $10,000 Question On the price debate, Schwartz offered a market-based argument. Based on reports from his recent posts, he said that if a group of wealthy investors truly believed XRP had even a 1% chance of hitting $10,000, they would have already piled in. That buying pressure, he argued, would have pushed the price to at least $20 by now. Some community members aren’t buying it. They point to his earlier skepticism about $0.25 — a level XRP has since surpassed — as a reason to question his current read on the asset’s ceiling. Schwartz has not walked back his position. Featured image from Bitpanda, chart from TradingView

Crypto pundit Crypto Dyl has revealed how high the XRP price could reach if it replicates its historical surge in 2017. This comes amid former Ripple CTO David Schwartz’s statement in which he addresses predictions that the altcoin could rally to $10,000.  Pundit Reveals XRP Price Target If It Mirrors 2017 Surge In an X post, Crypto Dyl stated that the XRP price could rally to $1,044 if it sees another supply shock and records a 768x gain as it did in 2017. He noted that in 2017, the altcoin rallied from $0.005 to $3.84 due to a supply shock. The pundit added that XRP had decoupled from Bitcoin prior to the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple, which helped contribute to this rally.  Related Reading: Breaking Down The Price Modelling That Puts XRP As High As $18,000 Crypto pundit SMQKE had recently alluded to the XRP price surge in 2017, noting that this was something important for XRP investors to remember. He highlighted how XRP delivered nearly 350x returns during the period, compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum, which gained 14x and 100x, respectively.  SMQKE stated that XRP was able to achieve such massive returns without Ripple making any major acquisition at the time to boost the token’s use case. As such, he believes that the XRP price is better positioned to record more significant gains than it was back then, since Ripple has made major acquisitions that have boosted the token’s use case.  However, amid these bullish outlooks for the XRP price, crypto pundit ChartNerd has warned about ultra-bullish price targets for the altcoin. He stated that the overly ambitious price targets being thrown around for XRP are far more “dangerous and unrealistic” than the predictions of a drop below $1, which are grounded in historical data.  Former Ripple CTO Comments On $10,000 XRP Prediction In an X post, former Ripple CTO David Schwartz suggested that an XRP price rally to $10,000 as unlikely to ever happen. He stated that if there were a few “very rich, very rational” people who really believed that there was a 1% chance that XRP could hit this target in ten years, they would be bidding the altcoin up to at least $20 today.  Related Reading: Pundit Shares The Most Important Thing To Remember About XRP Meanwhile, he also addressed assumptions that Ripple had ways to drive the XRP price higher. He noted that they have explained what they are doing, why they are doing it, and what they hope to achieve. The former Ripple CTO added that they are not hiding any grand conspiracy about XRP, even if they aren’t transparent about everything. Schwartz also indicated that there is no way they would have waited this long if indeed they had ways to boost XRP’s price.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.38, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz pushed back against renewed claims that XRP could reach $10,000, arguing that the market itself already provides a reality check on such extreme price targets. In an exchange on X, Schwartz framed the issue less as a debate over belief and more as a question of rational capital allocation: if sophisticated investors truly saw even a small chance of that outcome, why has XRP not already been priced far higher? Schwartz Pushes Back on XRP Moonshot Claims The discussion began after an X user asked Schwartz to comment on theories built around a crypto adaptation of Chris Burniske’s Price = PQ / (V × S) model, which some XRP supporters have used to argue for a possible $10,000 XRP. Schwartz answered with a simple market-based objection. “If there were a few very rich, very rational people who really believed that there was a 1% chance that XRP could hit $10K in 10 years, they’d bid XRP up to at least $20 today,” Schwartz wrote. “Why aren’t they? Conspiracy?” The point was not merely that $10,000 is a large number. Schwartz’s argument was that if the expected value of such a target were credible to rational, well-capitalized investors, they would not wait passively. Even assigning only a small probability to a massive future price would, in his reasoning, be enough to justify aggressive buying at far higher levels than the current market has sustained. Related Reading: XRP’s Leverage Has Been Flushed Out, But Price Is Still Holding: Find Out What Follows That Setup That answer cut directly into one of the recurring assumptions behind ultra-bullish XRP forecasts: that the market has failed to price in future institutional utility, settlement demand, or some latent strategy held by Ripple. Schwartz’s response suggested that markets may be imperfect, but they are not so inert that major pools of capital would ignore an asymmetric opportunity of that scale if they believed it was remotely plausible. The debate then moved to another familiar claim in XRP circles: that Ripple itself could use its own products, including Ripple Prime or treasury-related flows, to drive the asset dramatically higher. One user asked why Ripple would not “use their own stuff” through those channels and suggested it could push XRP above $100. Schwartz rejected the idea that Ripple still holds some unused mechanism capable of massively repricing XRP on command. “Maybe there was one time when you could semi-plausibly argue that Ripple had some easy way to shoot up the price of XRP massively for good but was just waiting for the right time to maximize something or other,” he wrote. “But boy, it’s hard to argue that today. For one thing, circumstances have changed so much that it’s hard to imagine we’ve held onto this magic switch for so long and it’s still just waiting to go.” Related Reading: Peter Brandt Puts XRP Bulls on Alert With New Support Chart He added that Ripple has already explained its strategy, even if the company does not disclose every internal detail. “We’ve explained what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and what we hope to achieve,” Schwartz wrote. “While we aren’t transparent about everything, we’re not hiding some grand conspiracy. At least not as far as I know.” Another user argued that wealthy investors often focus on wealth preservation rather than high-risk bets. Schwartz countered that this misunderstands how large pools of capital often behave. “The way rich people preserve wealth is by taking bigger risks than other people can stand to take,” he replied. The exchange continued when another user suggested that very wealthy buyers would accumulate XRP over the counter rather than on centralized exchanges, limiting visible price impact. Schwartz conceded that could be true initially, but argued it would not change the broader conclusion. “At first,” he wrote. “But they wouldn’t stop until they had moved the price or run out of money.” At press time, XRP traded at $1.3749. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

David Schwartz, the former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Ripple, has addressed recent concerns over DeFi bridge security, reassuring XRP Ledger (XRPL) users that the network is not exposed to attacks like those linked to the Kelp DAO exploit. He emphasized that vulnerability in cross-chain bridge systems largely depends on how they are designed and implemented, as well as on the level of reliance on external bridge infrastructure.  How XRP Users Remain Protected From Kelp DAO-Related Exploits In an X post on April 20, Schwartz provided context on how users in the XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem are positioned differently from those exposed to cross-chain risks in Kelp DAO exploits. The discussion follows concerns in the DeFi space after Kelp DAO suffered a major security breach tied to vulnerabilities in its bridging infrastructure. This hack resulted in approximately $292 million in rsETH tokens being stolen from the protocol and immediately used as debt collateral on Aave, a lending protocol.  Related Reading: What’s Really Going On With Ripple’s XRP Ledger And Are Investors Coming Back? Schwartz noted that his past evaluations of DeFi bridging systems, including those considered for Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD, were heavily focused on security design. According to his assessment, many of these systems already had strong mechanisms to prevent the type of fraudulent cross-chain message manipulation observed during the Kelp DAO attack. However, he noted that actual protection depends on whether projects fully activate those safeguards.  The ex-Ripple CTO also pointed to a recurring issue in DeFi infrastructures, where security features exist but are often practiced optionally. He noted that most bridge providers tend to promote their systems as “super safe,” while also emphasizing ease of use and fast deployment across different blockchains. In reality, some of these stronger security settings are left optional or disabled. As a result, Schwartz noted that many developers sometimes choose simpler configurations instead of fully enabling the full set of available security options. He added that, due to the trade-off between convenience and the costs of operational complexity, some teams avoid more robust setups. In his view, this creates a serious gap and can leave systems exposed to attacks that the underlying design was intended to prevent.  For XRP Ledger users, Schwartz noted that the blockchain’s reliance on bridge security systems is significantly reduced. As a result, exposure to vulnerabilities similar to the Kelp DAO incident is structurally limited.  How XRP Ledger Design Reduces Reliance On Bridge Systems Schwartz has noted a structural difference in how the XRP Ledger operates compared to many DeFi ecosystems that depend on external bridges. In systems like Kelp DAO’s rsETH setup, assets move across chains through third-party bridge protocols, which introduce additional points of failure if verification rules are not strictly enforced. Related Reading: Pundit Says This Chart Paints The Clearest Macro Picture For XRP In contrast, the XRP Ledger is designed with built-in transaction finality and does not rely on the same type of external cross-chain messaging infrastructure for its core functions. This significantly reduces the ledger’s exposure to security breaches and exploits that target tricking bridge validators or falsifying cross-chain instructions. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Jed McCaleb, the founder of Ripple and Stellar (XLM), has announced plans to redirect a whopping $1 billion from his XRP fortune into a new investment outside the cryptocurrency space. The crypto founder and Silicon Valley billionaire is now turning his focus toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), aiming to build an AI system based on the human brain.  Ripple Founder To Invest $1 Billion Into AI Research In an interview with Forbes, McCaleb disclosed plans to allocate approximately $1 billion from his estimated $3.9 billion in XRP holdings to fund efforts focused on AGI. The move comes after he previously dropped $1 billion to build a private space station in 2025.  Related Reading: XRP Expert Says The Moment Has Finally Come, Here’s What He Means The new investment is expected to come through the Astera Institute, a non-profit research organization based in California that McCaleb founded. Recently, the institute has increased its focus on neuroscience-inspired approaches to AI development. As a result, in addition to the $1 billion allocation for the core AGI project, McCaleb stated that he will pledge another $600 million specifically toward neuroscience research.  The Ripple founder shared his ambitious goal of studying the human brain as a model for building more capable, potentially safer artificial intelligence systems. He noted that researchers at the Astera Institute intend to use brain-computer interfaces to record neural activity patterns in mice as they perform everyday tasks, such as navigating mazes. They would then record and use these biological data and insights to design completely new AI systems that go beyond today’s popular transformer models.  In the interview, McCaleb expressed skepticism about current mainstream AI methods. He pointed out that while transformers, a type of AI model, are good at making predictions, they struggle with long-term planning, decision-making, and self-driven goals. He believes using a brain-inspired framework could create an AI system that is easier for humans to understand and control.  Interestingly, McCaleb described his time in cryptocurrency as “a big detour” from his deeper interest in AI. He explained that he had always wanted to work in artificial intelligence but only found the opportunity after stepping back from the cryptocurrency industry. He expressed strong belief in his ambitions, declaring that “AI is going to be the most transformative thing that humans ever create.” Although he remains a pivotal figure in Ripple’s history, McCaleb left the company and sold all his XRP by 2022.  A Quick Dive Into McCaleb’s Role In Ripple and XRP McCaleb initially entered the crypto industry as a programmer with previous experience running the now-defunct Mt. Gox, one of the earliest major Bitcoin exchanges. In 2011, he began developing the Ripple protocol and later recruited key figures like former Ripple CTO David Schwartz. Related Reading: XRP Global Distribution Shows The Major Holders And What It’s Being Used For In 2022, McCaleb co-founded OpenCoin, which later became Ripple Labs, now Ripple. He founded the company alongside Chris Larsen and served as CTO while contributing to the development of the XRP Ledger (XRPL). Following XRPL’s launch, McCaleb and other early co-founders each received personal stakes worth approximately 9 billion XRP, around 9% of the total supply. This allocation contributed significantly to his personal wealth today. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

“XRP isn’t going to move the way most people expect.” That was the message shared by an XRP enthusiast on X, rejecting the idea of a steady climb through levels like $2, $3, and $4.  Instead, the projection breaks away from conventional technical analysis and circulating supply models, predicting that XRP’s price could move in a much more exponential, step-change manner. The Exponential Pattern For XRP There have been multiple questions as to whether XRP’s next major rally will look like a normal crypto rally or whether it could come as a repricing when it is finally tied into real-world financial use on a global scale. That outlook was reiterated again after an XRP enthusiast on X noted that the cryptocurrency will not climb in clean steps, such as $2, $3, and $4, as most people think.  Related Reading: XRP Price Crash Far From Over And This Move Could Send It To $0.75 Instead, the XRP price will leap from current levels into triple, four-digit, or even higher territory once it becomes necessary in the financial system. This is not because of hype and not because everyone suddenly believes. But just because one day the system actually starts using it. This line of thinking often centers on XRP’s role as a bridge asset. In such a system, liquidity requirements could force a rapid adjustment in price if demand outweighs available supply. It is the same reasoning behind repeated claims that XRP will not follow a traditional cycle pattern.  Similar projections have surfaced from multiple XRP enthusiasts in recent months, many of whom link XRP’s long-term upside to institutional integration and cross-border settlement flows on the XRP Ledger. Interestingly, the pattern described in each case is a massive XRP price climb to levels as high as $10,000+. Critics Still Push Back Against These Targets At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $1.42, which is far below the floated price targets of $100 and above. Despite how popular this theory has become within parts of the XRP community, it continues to face strong resistance.  Related Reading: XRP Price Is Maintaining This Multi-Year Trendline, But A Crash Could Be Looming The main challenge to these price targets comes down to scale. At current supply levels, even a move to $100 would place the entire market cap of XRP above $6 trillion and closer to $10 trillion when considering total supply. This is much higher than some of the largest financial assets in the world by total value. That is why more conservative projections still dominate institutional outlooks. Analysts and research firms that track XRP base their upside in terms of growth relating to adoption milestones, regulatory clarity, and institutional capital inflows into Spot XRP ETFs, not instant moves into four digits above $1,000. Even Ripple CTO emeritus David Schwartz has pushed back on such expectations, noting that if the market genuinely believed XRP could trade at $100 very soon, its current price would not still be sitting near the $1 range. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

As the financial industry accelerates its push toward tokenising real-world assets, attention is increasingly turning to the infrastructure that could support this transformation. Advocates argue that XRP and the XRP Ledger may already have the tools that are needed for this shift and have supported asset issuance and tokenized value transfers long before the concept became a mainstream focus in global finance. How The XRP Ledger Handles Asset Issuance At Scale The current developments around XRP are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as the broader financial world begins focusing on tokenisation. According to a post on X by crypto analyst XFinanceBull, the former Ripple executive Ashish Birla has recently highlighted a crucial detail that many investors may overlook: the XRP Ledger was already capable of tokenizing assets such as gold more than a decade ago. Related Reading: Ripple Exec Clears The Air On Blocked XRP Transactions – When Does It Happen? Meanwhile, the infrastructure was built long before the current wave of institutional interest in tokenised finance. Currently, major financial firms such as BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are actively entering the tokenisation race. As regulatory clarity gradually evolves, institutional capital is flowing into the digital asset infrastructure, and the market is finally focusing on the same challenge the XRP Ledger was designed to address.  If tokenised real-world assets moving on-chain eventually reach trillions of dollars in scale, the network that provides the rails that settle value could become extremely important. Xfinancebull argues that the technology cycles tend to follow a predictable path, in which infrastructure is built first, and then price follows adoption.  The Math Behind XRP Ledger’s Massive Throughput Potential The question of whether the XRP Ledger can handle real global-scale transaction volume is best answered with simple math. Crypto investor Grape explained that the network closes roughly every 3 to 5 seconds and can sustain about 1,500 transactions per second under normal conditions, which translates to roughly 129 million transactions per day without reaching its limits.  Related Reading: XRP’s Real Value Will Arrive When Infrastructure Is Ready — Here’s Why Grape pointed out a major stress test conducted in 2021 involving Ripple and Pyypl pushing the public XRPL beyond 50,000 transactions per second while still maintaining a settlement time of 3 to 4 seconds, which amounts to approximately 4.3 billion per day. When compared to other payment and blockchain systems, the numbers are notable. Visa averages around 1,700 transactions per second, with a peak capacity of 65,000, while Ethereum processes roughly 15 to 30 transactions per second, and Bitcoin averages 7 transactions per second.  Ripple CTO David Schwartz noted that the upper limits of the network are still unknown. Despite that capacity, the XRPL network is currently processing only about 1 million transactions per day, which represents less than 1% of its tested capacity. In this view, the limiting factor for XRPL is not infrastructure, but the level of real-world adoption. Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com

The uncomfortable truth about XRP is that most people may be valuing it through the wrong lens. This point of view was made by commentator BarriC, who put forward a claim familiar among XRP enthusiasts: The altcoin was never designed to be a retail trade.  In a recent post on X, he noted that the asset was built to move institutional value, and once financial infrastructure actually requires XRP, the price will not climb slowly. Instead, it will reprice to levels the system demands. XRP As Infrastructure, Not A Trade BarriC’s outlook on XRP’s price action is based on the idea that XRP’s purpose has been misunderstood. From the beginning, the XRP Ledger was structured to facilitate high-speed settlement, cross-border liquidity, and asset tokenization, where people can be their own bank and no middlemen tax their transactions. XRPL creators like David Schwartz have always pointed to these functionalities as the reason why the XRP Ledger is different.  Related Reading: Cup And Handle Pattern Puts XRP Price At $60 After Hitting Resistance XRP is the bridge asset within that XRPL ecosystem. Through services built by Ripple, XRP has been positioned as a tool for on-demand liquidity between currencies and financial institutions. The reason offered by BarriC is that if banks and payment providers depend on it to settle value efficiently, demand would be based on usage, not just speculative trading like an average cryptocurrency. Under that framework, XRP’s valuation would no longer be based on retail buying pressure. It would reflect how much capital needs to flow through the network. How High Can The Price Actually Go? The most interesting part of BarriC’s statement is how much necessity pricing will affect the token’s price. The outlook is that when the token finally becomes required infrastructure, it does not grind higher step by step like a meme-based rally. Instead, it is going to reprice abruptly. That is why he dismisses price anchors such as $2 or even the three-digit mark at $100.  Related Reading: Why This Expert Is Predicting A $10,000 Base Price For XRP If the necessity pricing were to happen, the price action is going to look more like $1,000 per XRP, $10,000 per XRP, or $50,000 per XRP. However, BarriC acknowledged that projections of $1,000 to $50,000 sound unrealistic under today’s conditions. This is especially true, considering the implied market cap if the altcoin were to trade at those predicted price levels. At the time of writing, XRP is trading within normal market structures and is currently trading at $1.37, up by 2.7% in the past 24 hours. Institutional usage of the altcoin is still limited compared to global payment volumes. However, recent moves by Ripple are increasingly seeing XRP becoming entrenched in the niche of global payments. It is currently unclear which path this price repricing will take, as there is no historical precedent in crypto markets for an asset transitioning into deeply embedded global payments settlement infrastructure. Therefore, projections from BarriC and other bullish XRP proponents are only forward-looking predictions. Featured image from RenderHub, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP Ledger has quietly crossed a critical milestone. What began as an experimental blockchain designed to challenge the inefficiencies of cross-border payments is now maturing into full-scale financial infrastructure. With the final constraints that once limited bank participation now removed, XRPL is no longer something institutions test; it’s something they can deploy. How XRPL Addressed Compliance And Operational Gaps Ripple has removed a key barrier that previously prevented banks from settling directly on the XRP Ledger, a change that could enable billions of inflows into the Ledger. Crypto analyst Diana has revealed that for years, a recurring question has surrounded Ripple’s network of over 300 bank partnerships: If adoption was so broad, why isn’t there massive on-chain volume on XRPL? Related Reading: Is XRP Poised To Replace SWIFT As Global Payments Infrastructure? As explained by Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and board member David Schwartz (JoelKatz), the reason was not technical performance; it was compliance and counterparty certainty. Institutions were unable to guarantee who was providing liquidity or whether counterparties met regulatory requirements when settling on-chain. That constraint is now being addressed. Permissioned Domains are live on XRPL, allowing institutions to operate within compliant, access-controlled environments while still benefiting from on-chain settlement.  However, a Permissioned DEX, which is scheduled to go live on February 18, will enable institution-only liquidity pools designed specifically for regulated participants. A big week is ahead for Ripple XRP, with more token utility anticipated. BSCN on the X platform reported that the week ahead could be an important one for the Ripple community, with new updates focused on expanding the real-world utility of XRP set to be introduced. RippleXDev has announced that the XRP community day will take place on February 11, featuring a series of live social media events. One of the key discussion points will be how upcoming roadmap features translate directly into XRP utility. RippleXDev indicated that the session will explore several foundational pillars designed to drive adoption, including programmability through smart extensions and contracts, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for privacy and stability, and compliance building blocks such as permissioned domains and the permissioned DEX. Why Extreme Conditions Often Precede Relief Rallies XRP price has entered the most oversold condition in its history. According to Skipper, analysts are stating that every time the altcoin reached comparable extremes, the price eventually reversed to the upside. Based on this historical pattern, XRP may be approaching a significant rebound, with a move back above the $2 level now back in focus. Related Reading: XRP Price Bearish Continuation Confirmed As Downside Pressure Builds At the same time, the evolution of the classic DEX is accelerating. DEX Pro would bring together the critical market data into a single, streamlined interface, bridging the gap between decentralized execution and professional-grade data analysis and giving traders the tools to make smarter, faster, and more informed decisions. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

Discussion around XRP’s long-term price outlook picked up this week following remarks from David Schwartz during a Q&A exchange with members of the XRP community on X. The former Chief Technology Officer of Ripple and one of the original architects of the XRP Ledger weighed in on claims that XRP could realistically reach price levels between $50 and $100.  Related Reading: Ethereum Boost: Vitalik Buterin Sets Aside $45M In ETH For Privacy And Open Tech Interestingly, Schwartz’s view wasn’t one of outright bullishness but on how markets actually price belief, probability, and conviction with a blunt reality check. Schwartz Refuses To Admit Or Dismiss A $100 XRP When asked whether to tell investors that XRP cannot realistically reach $50 or $100, Schwartz refused to give in to take that position. Instead, he began by explaining why he was uncomfortable making absolute statements about XRP’s future price. Drawing on personal experience, he pointed out that he once considered much lower milestones unrealistic, including XRP trading above $0.25 and Bitcoin reaching $100 as an impossible dream. However, personal disbelief was not the issue. His contention is based on how rational markets behave when participants genuinely believe in a specific outcome.  According to Schwartz, if a meaningful number of rational investors truly believed there was even a modest chance of XRP reaching $100 within a few years, the market would already reflect that belief.  In such a scenario, investors would be unwilling to sell XRP at prices far below $10, and buyers with that conviction would rapidly absorb available supply. At the time of writing, XRP is trading well below $10, and is yet to even establish $2 as a support floor. The fact that XRP continues to trade well under that level, in his view, shows that very few market participants actually assign a serious probability to a $100 outcome.  According to Schwartz, cryptocurrency markets are more rational than they are often given credit for. However, he also noted his personal belief that most significant crypto bull runs were due to unpredictable external changes. This caveat still opens up the possibility that XRP would, in fact, trade at $100 one day. Comparing XRP And Bitcoin Through A Rational Market Lens In a follow-up exchange, Schwartz responded to a comparison between XRP reaching $100 and Bitcoin’s early journey to $1,000. The unlikelihood of XRP reaching $100 is dependent more on the multiple of the asset than anything else. A ten-fold increase in XRP, he said, is about as unlikely as a ten-fold increase in Bitcoin or Ethereum right now, regardless of whether that move occurred in the past or might happen in the future. The idea that XRP would one day trade at $100 has been a popular idea among bullish XRP enthusiasts. However, a few critics have always downplayed the idea, citing the enormous amount of inflow this would take and saying it would be best to target lower prices like $10 first. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Slide To $82K Sets Off A $1.7 Billion Chain Reaction Schwartz’s remarks do not declare a $100 XRP impossible but follow the reasoning of the latter group. Instead, the Ripple emeritus CTO challenges the logic behind confidently promoting such targets when the market itself shows little willingness to price that outcome in today, something that might not sit well with XRP enthusiasts. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

A debate over the XRP Ledger’s (XRPL) economy model has ignited after Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), David Schwartz, directly addressed questions about taxation on the blockchain. Critics have suggested that if XRP holders do not earn from the ecosystem, someone must be collecting a tax. Schwartz’s response challenges this assumption, framing the XRP Ledger as a public utility rather than a profit-generating mechanism for token holders. The debate has since sparked broader conversations about real-world use cases, passive income expectations, and the underlying purpose of the XRPL blockchain.  Ripple CTO Says No Tax On The XRP Ledger  In a post on X social media, Schwartz clarified that the XRP Ledger does not impose a tax on its users. He explained that the ledger allows holders to issue assets, trade, create NFTs, and make payments without central authority extracting value from these financial activities. He also stated that transaction fees and reserves exist solely as anti-spam measures, not as a mechanism for wealth extraction.  Related Reading: Ripple CTO Explains Real Value Of XRP Ledger And Why It Doesn’t Trigger Price Rallies The Ripple CTO emphasized that ownership of XRP does not give anyone the right to collect fees or profits from the ledger itself. He drew a comparison to Bitcoin’s blockchain, highlighting that the XRPL provides similar decentralized functionality while also supporting features such as Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs), stablecoins, and NFTs. These features work without XRP holders needing to profit from the system’s operations.  Schwartz’s remarks on taxes on the XRPL blockchain come after Matthew Sigel, head of digital asset research at VanEck, raised questions about who benefits if XRP holders do not earn anything from the ecosystem and the protocol itself does not generate value. In response, other members of the community, including XRPL dUNL validator Vet, emphasized that the absence of a tax encourages developers and users to focus on building meaningful, functional use cases rather than relying on passive income.  XRP’s Utility Outweighs Tax Considerations The XRPL tax debate between Schwartz and Sigel also intersected with discussions about the blockchain’s real-world applications. In a much earlier post, Sigel questioned the blockchain’s relevance, subtly hinting that its supporters overstate its functionality.  Related Reading: XRP Leading A $400 Trillion Revolution? How Ripple’s Tokenization Campaign Is Sparking Utility In response, an XRP community member pointed to the recent collaboration between Ondo Finance, Ripple, and BlackRock, in which the XRP Ledger will be utilized for stablecoin issuance, minting, Treasury asset redemption, and liquidity enhancement in financial markets. While Sigel acknowledged the innovative initiative, he reiterated that these applications do not directly generate revenue for XRP token holders, highlighting a gap between network activity and personal gain.  Schwartz responded by explaining that the value of XRPL stems from enabling financial independence and reducing reliance on intermediaries, rather than providing passive income. He added that focusing on tax collection as a measure of success can overshadow the blockchain’s purpose of promoting open access and meaningful innovation. Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com

A discussion has surfaced within the crypto community regarding the reasoning behind XRP’s fixed supply of 100 billion tokens. For years, enthusiasts and investors have questioned why Ripple opted for such a large figure when most cryptocurrencies operate with far smaller caps. Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, recently addressed the question on the social platform X, shedding light on the considerations that guided the early design of the XRP Ledger. Technical Foundations Behind XRP’s 100 Billion Supply David Schwartz was one of the original architects behind XRP and the XRP Ledger in 2012, and as such, he possesses unmatched insight into the cryptocurrency’s tokenomics and the rationale that shaped its design. His response to the question regarding XRP’s 100 billion supply design revealed that the decision was rooted in technical precision and deliberate effort to balance the functionality of the token’s architecture. Related Reading: Evernorth Has Reached 95% Of Its XRP Treasury Target – Here Are The Numbers The first layer of reasoning behind XRP’s supply lies in its technical design. According to Schwartz, the developers of the Ledger sought a number that would provide adequate divisibility for the token. This level of divisibility allows XRP to be functional across both high-value institutional payments and smaller, everyday transactions. Equally important was the need for the total supply to fit cleanly within a 64-bit integer, a standard data type used in computing to store numerical values efficiently. This decision minimizes the risk of overflow errors or arithmetic inconsistencies in the ledger’s codebase. A supply as large as 100 billion allows the system to handle every transaction amount accurately while preserving performance and compatibility with conventional software frameworks. Usability And Design Simplicity Aside from the technical justifications, the choice of 100 billion was also made with human usability in mind. As noted by Schwartz, the third reason for XRP’s 100 billion circulating supply is that the number is easy for humans to remember.  Related Reading: High Liquidity At This Level Could Send The XRP Price Surging Soon Ripple’s architects wanted a total supply that was easy to communicate, recognize, and remember. A round, memorable number like 100 billion conveys clarity to users and traders. Although XRP has a maximum supply of 100 billion tokens, not every token is currently in circulation. At the time of writing, XRP has a circulating supply of 60.1 billion tokens. At the launch of the Ledger, a total supply of 100 billion XRP was pre-mined and fixed. Of this amount, approximately 55 billion XRP were placed into escrow contracts controlled by Ripple to control how many tokens enter the market over time. At the time of writing, about 35 billion XRP tokens are currently locked in escrow and waiting to be released into circulation. Each month, up to 1 billion XRP is released, and any unused portion (about 70% to 80%) is typically placed back into escrow. As part of the schedule, Ripple is going to unlock another 1 billion XRP from escrow on November 1. At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $2.51, up by 0.9% in the past 24 hours. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

What gives XRP its value? In an exchange on X, Ripple CTO David Schwartz – known as “JoelKatz” – tried to answer that question without pretending crypto already behaves like traditional assets. He didn’t lean on marketing language about instant settlement or global payments. He talked about power, control, censorship, incentive design, and speculation. How Does XRP Get Its Value? First, Schwartz reframed what XRP is actually for. He argued that the XRP Ledger is built for people and institutions that don’t want an intermediary sitting in the middle of their transactions. He put it in blunt terms: “Do you want to use a blockchain where people can be their own bank and no middlemen tax their transactions or do you want to be someone else’s bank and tax their transactions? If you want the latter, there are dozens of blockchains for you. If you want the former, there’s XRP.” In that framing, XRP is not just another token. It’s the only counterparty-free asset native to XRPL. Everything else on the ledger is an IOU from someone – a promise by an issuer, bank, fintech, money transmitter, or gateway. XRP is the exception. It exists on-ledger, without an issuer, and can move between any accounts without anyone else’s permission, freeze authority, or seizure authority. Related Reading: High Liquidity At This Level Could Send The XRP Price Surging Soon Schwartz made that explicit: “XRP is the only asset without a counterparty that can be accessed by every account in every jurisdiction with no risk of default, freeze, or clawback.” That point is central to how Ripple has always positioned XRP: the ledger is multi-currency, but only one asset on it is universally clean. What Schwartz is arguing is that this special status is not cosmetic. It is economic. He said: “I do think XRP’s special place on XRPL ensures that XRP will capture some of the value XRPL transactions generate.” To understand that claim, you have to understand how most blockchains try to “capture value.” The dominant 2020–2025 playbook in crypto is explicit extraction. Protocols design fee switches, burn mechanisms, staking capture, MEV capture, sequencer rent, or other tolls, and then say to the market: holding this token entitles you to a share of that toll. Schwartz is openly saying XRPL is not built like that. The XRP Ledger was not designed to tax users at the protocol layer. In his view, that’s a feature, not a bug. He described XRPL as a public good, not a rent machine. He explained it by analogy: “When you ask what eBay is good for, you normally don’t think about it being a good way to enrich the people who invest in eBay. You think of it as a way of bringing buyers and sellers together with the buyers and sellers wanting the costs to be as low as possible. The buyers and sellers shouldn’t want eBay’s investors taxing their transactions as much as they can get away with because that is mostly money the buyers have to pay but sellers don’t get.” Then he applied that logic directly to XRPL: “I think of XRPL as a public good that doesn’t tax people who want to use its capabilities. I am not arguing that it is the best design or even that it’s better than most other designs. But it is different. XRP really is about being your own bank and having no middlemen passively taxing your transactions.” XRP Price Is Driven By Speculation This is where the philosophical tension becomes an economic tension. If XRPL is designed not to skim value from users, then how does XRP appreciate? Why should holding XRP benefit from the ledger’s success? Schwartz’s answer is that XRP’s role as the only universal, non-freezable settlement asset on XRPL is itself enough to force some level of demand if XRPL becomes important infrastructure. In other words, the ledger doesn’t have to tax flow in order for XRP to matter. XRP matters if the ledger matters. But Schwartz did not pretend that this mechanism is currently driving price on its own. In fact, he went in the opposite direction and said something most executives in crypto either won’t admit or can’t afford to say in public. He said the market is still pricing the future, not the present: “The funny thing is that I think that most of the value of most cryptocurrencies comes from expected future speculation. So if what you care about future price changes, what people think will happen is much more important than what has happened.” Related Reading: XRP Chart Mirrors Gold Right Before Its Parabolic Run Then he pointed at bitcoin to make the point unavoidable: “Look at bitcoin. Most of the current investment thesis is something like, ‘Imagine if most companies start storing 1% of their treasury in bitcoin, what will that do to the price?’. What that’s saying is that in the future, more people will speculate on future price appreciation than speculate currently.” And he went even further: “It’s not even based on expected future utility, it’s based on expected future speculation! I want to believe utility matters, I really do.” That last line is probably the most revealing thing Schwartz said. He is not saying “XRP price today is purely a function of measurable payment volume today.” He’s saying that’s not how crypto is priced, period. Crypto, in his view, is reflexive: people buy because they believe other people will one day buy for the same reason, at higher size and higher urgency. That leads to the next objection: if value is driven by expectation of an “explosion scenario,” shouldn’t tokens be basically worthless until that scenario actually hits scale? Schwartz rejected that. He argued that markets continuously reprice probability, not outcomes: “There may come a day when we look at today’s cryptocurrency values as, in comparison, nothing. But the idea that values will be very low and then suddenly rise is just not how speculation works. As the probability of explosion or size of expected explosion grows, value follows.” At press time, XRP traded at $2.48. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Evernorth has emerged as the latest powerhouse in institutional crypto accumulation, closing in on its ambitious XRP treasury goal. In just a few days, the firm has reached 95% of its accumulation target, marking a major milestone in XRP’s journey toward broader institutional adoption. The rapid growth of Evernorth’s reserves and its strategic partnerships has sparked renewed excitement across the XRP community, signaling what could be a pivotal shift in how institutions engage with the cryptocurrency.  Evernorth Nears $1 Billion In XRP Holdings A new report from CryptoQuant has revealed that Evernorth’s XRP holdings is now nearing the $1 billion funding milestone, positioning it among the top institutional holders of the cryptocurrency. According to JA Maartunn, a community analyst at CryptoQuant, Evernorth currently holds 388,710,606.03 XRP, reaching 95% of its $1 billion target.  Related Reading: Rumors Circulate That Ripple Is Buying $1 Billion Worth Of XRP — Here’s What We Know The company’s total XRP treasury is now valued at approximately $947,183,571, with unrealized profits of roughly $46 million generated in four days. This figure reflects an average purchase price of $2.44 per XRP, which Maartunn believes could become a defining price level for the cryptocurrency’s market trajectory.  Notably, Evernorth’s XRP treasury comes amid a broader trend of institutional diversification toward digital assets. Earlier this year, several major crypto treasury institutions—most notably Strategy, with its aggressive Bitcoin accumulation strategy, and The Ether Machine, with its dedicated focus on Ethereum—set the tone for large-scale crypto accumulation.  Evernorth’s expanding holdings signal a decisive shift beyond BTC and ETH, underscoring a maturing institutional demand for alternative layer-1 assets. It also suggests that XRP may become the next frontier for institutional treasuries seeking exposure to high-liquidity, regulated crypto assets. Evernorth’s XRP Growth Strategy  Asheesh Birla, the CEO of Evernorth, introduced the treasury company last week, on October 20, through an X post. He described it as an institutional vehicle built to propel XRP’s global adoption. The announcement detailed the company’s plans to go public through a SPAC merger with Armada Acquisition Corp II (NASDAQ:AACI), targeting gross proceeds of more than $1 billion. Related Reading: XRP Price Teleport To $6: What Happens When The Euphoric Phase Begin Evernorth’s growth strategy includes acquiring XRP through innovative financial structures designed to maximize XRP per share and expanding internationally into key markets like Japan and South Korea. The company also plans to diversify its yield generation through risk-mitigated treasury deployment. These initiatives reflect a deliberate, structured approach toward building a long-term institutional presence around XRP. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has also praised Birla’s initiative, noting Ripple’s partnership and investment alongside prominent firms such as SBI Holdings, Pantera Capital, Kraken, GSR, and Rippleworks. Garlinghouse said that Evernorth’s participation in institutional lending, liquidity provision, and DeFi yield opportunities will be instrumental in expanding XRP’s utility. Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, who joins Evernorth as a strategic advisor, echoed this sentiment, expressing enthusiasm for building scalable opportunities for XRP across DeFi and capital markets. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP community’s attention has been drawn to a $600 million transfer, which has sparked speculation about its potential impact on the altcoin’s price. The transfer notably originated from a Ripple wallet address, further fueling speculations that the crypto firm is dumping on retail investors.  $600 Million in XRP Tokens Moved by Ripple Spark Speculation Whale Alert data shows that Ripple moved 200 million XRP ($610 million) from one of its wallets, sparking speculation that the crypto firm was looking to offload these coins. Moreover, the transfer comes as XRP struggles to hold above the psychological $3 level, suggesting that the altcoin may be facing significant selling pressure.  Related Reading: Analyst Says XRP Price Target Of $27 Still Holds – ‘The Ride Has Just Begun’ However, further on-chain data shows that Ripple simply moved these XRP tokens to another of its wallet addresses, suggesting that this was a routine operation rather than a move to offload these coins. An X user, XRP Liquidity, also clarified that the transfer was made from the ‘Ripple 1’ address to ‘Ripple 50’, which the account stated is “queuing for ODL, ETPs, Trust, and other Investments.” Another X user, Marc, also noted that the Ripple 50 wallet primarily interacts with the Binance 11 wallet and holds tokenized treasuries, including Ondo Finance’s tokenized treasury fund (OUSG). The crypto firm mainly utilizes its XRP holdings to support its On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service, facilitating cross-border transfers through its payment services.  However, this latest transfer comes at a time when there is so much bearish sentiment among XRP community members. Popular community members, such as Crypto Bitlord, have consistently criticized Ripple and recently advised XRP holders to sell their tokens following Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz’s, announcement that he was resigning. Amid XRP’s struggles, the altcoin has now dropped in the crypto rankings by market cap, losing the number 3 spot to BNB.  A ‘Promising Buy Signal’ For XRP On-chain analytics platform Santiment has described the current FUD in the XRP community as a promising buy signal for the altcoin. The platform stated that the altcoin is seeing its highest level of retail FUD since the Trump tariffs were announced 6 months ago. According to Santiment, there have been more bearish comments than bullish for two out of the past three days.  The platform claimed that this development is generally a promising buy signal, as markets move in the opposite direction of small trader expectations. As such, XRP could witness a significant price surge amid these bearish sentiments. The XRP ETFs could serve as one of the catalysts for this potential price surge, although a SEC decision is on hold until the U.S. government shutdown ends.  Related Reading: XRP Short Squeeze: Analyst Reveals Available Trading Supply Could Fall To Bitcoin’s 21 Million At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading $2.84, down over 4% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

David Schwartz, one of Ripple’s longest-serving figures, announced on Sept. 30 that he will step down as Chief Technology Officer after more than thirteen years in the position. Schwartz, who joined Ripple in its early days and became one of the most recognizable voices in the XRP community, said the decision followed what he called […]
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Crypto analyst Xena has declared that the XRP price will definitely reach $10,000. The analyst further gave reasons why she holds this belief and likened XRP’s potential run to that of Bitcoin.  Why The XRP Price Will Reach $10,000 In an X post, Xena asserted that the XRP price will reach $10,000 without a doubt. She noted that some market participants argue that XRP should at least cross its all-time high (ATH) first before such projections, but the analyst believes that is not the point. The analyst suggested that market participants are too focused on the short-term, while alluding to how people said Bitcoin should reach $1,000 first when articles said it would reach $1 million.  Related Reading: How The XRP Price Can Go To $100 And What Is Required To Reach $1,000 Xena remarked that many regret not holding a few Bitcoin today, seeing how it has surged amid these predictions. She told market participants that they have the choice to be sarcastic and do nothing, or hold XRP and be patient in anticipation of the XRP price rally. The analyst then drew attention to when she bought BTC between $200 and $600 and Ethereum at $5.  She explained that she took a leap of faith back then and is now happy with her decision, seeing how the two largest coins by market capitalization have surged to massive heights. Xena noted that people also said the same thing that they are currently saying about the XRP price back then, that BTC and ETH won’t reach a particular price.  Xena claimed that the naysayers would always exist and have their own convictions while they think they know better. However, she doesn’t believe that they know better than Ripple’s co-founder and XRP Ledger developer Arthur Britto, who the community claims predicted that the XRP price would reach $10,000.  The Ripple Factor For The Projected Rally Xena also suggested that she believes the XRP price can reach $10,000 based on Ripple’s supposed hint about higher prices for the altcoin. She specifically alluded to the $589 price target and remarked that the crypto firm has been hinting that there is something special about this number.  Related Reading: Pundit Reveals What Will Happen When XRP Price Hits $100 And $1,000 She further noted that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has been following only 589 people with so much consistency. The analyst then questioned community members whether they would prefer to listen to X haters or Ripple CTO David Schwartz, she claimed clearly told them that XRP can reach a high price depending on different factors. Xena added that when Arthur Britto says that XRP is designed to reach $10,000, then the community should pay attention.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.81, down over 6% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP community has been paying close attention to Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, as he continues to share details about his latest project. Based on a recent post on X, Schwartz signaled a development that could soon move beyond testing and into production. To accompany his update, he shared performance charts that provide a glimpse into how the system has been running in the past few days. Ripple CTO Prepares XRPL Hub For Production David Schwartz revealed on the social media platform X that the XRPL Hub server he has been testing is close to being ready for production. Schwartz explained that the past three days of performance have been encouraging, and stability levels are now high enough for the hub to be considered for wider rollout next week.  Related Reading: Ripple CTO Says Next Project Is ‘Production Ready’, What Is It?  Schwartz had previously revealed his plans to create a high-performance hub that sets aside special connection slots for UNL validators, important nodes, and servers that run XRPL-based applications. The hub is designed to strengthen XRPL’s connectivity by improving reliability for peers and validators, while also providing developers with a consistent gateway into the network. In his update, Schwartz noted that the server has been stable since its restart five days ago. According to the metrics he shared, the hub has been maintaining a peer count that has steadily increased from around 300 connections earlier in the week to over 357 peers at the most recent check. This consistency indicates that the server is successfully handling traffic across the XRPL ecosystem. What’s Next For The Hub? Schwartz noted that the system had shown strong performance over the last three days, enough for him to consider transitioning it into production as early as next week. However, the monitoring data showed occasional latency spikes, which Schwartz linked to higher outbound bandwidth usage. These spikes did not occur every time bandwidth rose, and this makes the pattern somewhat puzzling but not alarming.  Related Reading: Ripple CTO Says XRP Ledger Has Been Battle-Tested To Power World’s Financial System On the other hand, latency stayed well below levels that would impact real-world performance, with the 10% latency line never exceeding 33 milliseconds since the restart. The broader latency averages are comfortably within acceptable ranges.  Even at peaks, the bandwidth usage is within safe capacity. Peer disconnections, which saw spikes earlier in the week, have since normalized to an average around 17 per interval. Together, these metrics underline that the system is stable and capable of supporting a wider role within the XRPL ecosystem as Schwartz prepares for the next stage. Reactions to Schwartz’s update on X show that the XRPL community is closely tracking the hub’s development, and many XRP enthusiasts have welcomed the prospect of a production-ready rollout. If all goes well, Schwartz should be able to give a definitive update regarding production next week. Schwartz had clarified that this hub is a personal project he has been building independently, separate from his work as CTO at Ripple. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Ripple chief technology officer (CTO) David “JoelKatz” Schwartz used a late-Wednesday post on X to frame a surge of payments and stablecoin companies launching their own base-layer networks as validation of blockchain’s role in finance—and to restate how the XRP Ledger’s design differs from the new entrants. “We’ve been seeing more and more players in the payments and stablecoins space launch their own blockchains. To me, that’s a clear sign the market sees blockchain as core financial infrastructure — something we’ve believed in and have been building toward on the XRP Ledger for over 13 years,” he wrote, adding, “Launching a blockchain is hard. Building an ecosystem with developers, liquidity, trust, and real-world usage is even harder.” Competition For Ripple And The XRP Ledger? Schwartz situated XRPL’s posture in the long-running debate over network governance. “Some blockchains are built with permissioned validator sets controlled by one entity or a small group. This can provide control and compliance for specific, closed-network scenarios, but it limits reach, resilience, and the ability for anyone to contribute to securing and growing the network,” he wrote. Related Reading: XRP Ruling Sends Shockwaves Through The Financial System “As many of you know, the XRPL is public and permissionless at its core, with optional permissioned features for regulated use cases.” He argued that the ledger’s open base “makes it adaptable, interoperable, and well-positioned to serve as critical infrastructure for the world’s financial system — connecting assets, markets, and participants seamlessly across borders.” The remarks arrive as two US fintech heavyweights move into L1 territory. Circle this week unveiled Arc, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 it says is “purpose-built for stablecoin finance,” with dollar-denominated fees (USDC as native gas), opt-in privacy, a built-in RFQ-style FX engine, and “deterministic sub-second settlement finality” via the Malachite consensus engine. Circle says Arc will enter private testnet in the coming weeks, target public testnet in the fall, and a mainnet beta in 2026. Separately, Stripe is developing Tempo, a high-performance, payments-focused L1 being built in partnership with crypto VC firm Paradigm. Tempo is designed to run code compatible with Ethereum, is currently in stealth with a small team, and it remains unclear whether it will have a native token. Schwartz also highlighted specific XRPL design choices he sees as aligned with financial-grade settlement. “It’s encouraging to see some newer chains adopt design choices that have long been part of the XRPL’s architecture, like deterministic finality … It shows there’s growing alignment in the industry on the importance of predictable, reliable settlement for financial applications without expensive validation,” he wrote. He reiterated that XRPL fees are meant to stay “low and predictable, just fractions of a cent, without a separate gas token,” noting that “every transaction on the XRPL uses/burns XRP.” XRPL’s technical documentation specifies that each transaction destroys a small amount of XRP as an anti-spam fee, and describes consensus rules aimed at deterministic ordering and finality. Related Reading: XRP Double-Bottom Breakout Sets Sights On $34, Predicts Analyst Where Schwartz drew a line was on governance flexibility. He acknowledged that permissioned validator sets can make sense for “specific, closed-network scenarios,” but underscored XRPL’s approach: a public, permissionless core with opt-in controls for compliance needs. The ledger’s native features include Authorized Trust Lines, Deposit Authorization/Preauthorization, and issuer-level freeze tooling for issued assets—not for XRP itself—allowing regulated token issuers to gate or police flows without converting the entire network into a walled garden. XRPL’s own FAQ emphasizes that it is a decentralized, public blockchain where changes require supermajority validator approval. The strategic contrast with the new fintech chains is already visible. Arc explicitly centers USDC—making fees dollar-denominated and embedding Circle’s payments stack—whereas XRPL retains XRP for fees and settlement while supporting issued assets through trust-line mechanics. If Tempo proceeds as reported, Stripe would be pursuing an Ethereum-compatible L1 optimized for predictable payments performance, potentially mirroring Arc’s enterprise-centric pitch but with a broader merchant-services integration surface. Schwartz closed on a deliberately expansive note about the competitive set: “Looking forward to the next phase of XRPL innovations, bringing more programmability, compliance-grade capabilities, and deeper liquidity for institutional use,” he wrote—before welcoming rivals: “And to those just getting started… Welcome to the party! The crypto tent is only getting bigger.” At press time, XRP traded at $3.23. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Crypto analyst Ripple Queen has made a bold prediction that the XRP price can reach $10,000 at some point. The analyst also highlighted factors that make this price target achievable despite how ambitious it is.  XRP Price To $10,000 Is Already On The Horizon In an X post, Ripple Queen declared that an XRP price tag of $10,000 is already “locked in.” She claimed that the math proves that the altcoin can reach this target and then alluded to how its supply is limited and its utility is unmatched. The analyst added that the world is catching up fast, indicating that more people are adopting XRP.  Related Reading: Market Cap Not A Hindrance To XRP Price Reaching $1,000, Expert Explains Why Ripple Queen further stated that regulatory clarity is falling into place for the crypto industry, which is bullish for the XRP price. Thanks to this regulatory clarity, with laws like the GENIUS Act, Ripple is set to expand its operations, which will boost XRP’s adoption. The altcoin is known to be at the centre of the crypto firm’s operations. Ripple CTO David Schwartz also recently indicated that it will continue to be the bridge currency for their payment services.  In line with this, Ripple Queen remarked that mass adoption is no longer a dream but a countdown, which is why she believes that the XRP price will reach $10,000. The analyst also stated that banks and institutional investors are quietly accumulating, a move that she is confident will soon lead to a massive supply shock for the altcoin.  These institutional investors will also have an avenue to accumulate more XRP once the SEC approves the spot ETFs. Bloomberg analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart have already predicted a 95% chance of approval for the XRP ETFs. The launch of these funds will drive more capital into the altcoin’s ecosystem, which is bullish for the XRP price.  Current Price Action On Journey To $10,000 Crypto analyst CasiTrades has provided insights into the current XRP price action, even as it eyes this projected rally to $10,000. In an X post, she stated that the price action isn’t bearish yet from a technical standpoint despite the recent correction. The analyst noted that the low at $2.75 remains above the wave 1 high around $2.65, which keeps the larger uptrend intact.   Related Reading: Analyst Says XRP Price Is Now In Wave 4 — What To Expect CasiTrades further revealed that bullish divergences are showing up on the 15-minute chart up to the 4-hour chart. She claimed that this supports the case that $2.75 could be the bottom of this corrective wave. Moving forward, the analyst stated that a proper reclaim of $3.21 and a strong break above this level would begin to confirm that the correction is over and that the next leg up is underway. If that happens, the next target zone will be between $4.60 and $4.80.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $3.05, up over 2% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

The Central banks, institutions, and payment corridors are experimenting with something deeper than crypto hype. From cross-border settlements to real-world assets, Ripple is building blockchain infrastructure. If recent comments from top banking executives are any indication, XRP may move trillions in value. The Settlement Layer No One Saw Coming According to KingXRP, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) is on the brink of a groundbreaking transformation that could unlock a staggering $196 trillion market through the emergence of RealFi and real-world finance powered by blockchain technology. His post includes a recent interview with Teucrium CEO Sal Gilbertie, where he made a bold declaration that XRP and Ripple will move trillions and tokenize the entire financial system.  Related Reading: XRP’s Secret Weapon? Ripple Exec Says It’s Not What You Think As mentioned in the video, XRP is often misunderstood. It can be traded and speculated on like any other asset, but its true purpose goes much deeper. Ripple is the company behind XRP, and it was originally founded to facilitate fast, efficient money transfers across borders. Apparently, XRP is now evolving far beyond simple transactions. It’s becoming a foundational tool for tokenizing a wide range of assets and enabling the movement of value in new and innovative ways.  As Ripple continues to advance its level 2 infrastructure, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they are positioning to tokenize the entire financial system. They have acquired a broker-dealer clearing member, which is a strategic move that brings them one step closer to integrating deeply with the traditional financial markets. This move marks what Gilbertie believes is the first step toward integrating traditional finance with DeFi. The acquisition of a broker-dealer isn’t just a technicality, but it’s the kind of infrastructure move that would rewire the system in the future. XRP Moves Into Institutional Payment Rails CryptoGeek has also shared an update on X about Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO), David Schwartz, stating that banks are now integrating XRP. Meanwhile, Ripple Bank will operate entirely on the XRP Ledger, settling all payments with XRP as its core asset.  Related Reading: Ripple CEO Debunks SWIFT Partnership, XRP To Dramatically Change Payments Infrastructure Schwartz emphasized in the video that closing a deal with a bank always feels exciting, and it looks great on paper, which signals validation. However, behind the scenes, it’s a different story, and banks are extremely slow to move, cautious, conservative, and are bound by layers of internal processes. Furthermore, Schwartz stated that the team focused a lot on banks, because landing a press release with a major institution looked like progress. It felt like a milestone, and over time, the firm realized most of them were only in it for the optics. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Ripple Labs Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has offered rare and pointed clarity on what drives the XRP price value in the long term, despite the company’s recent spotlight on its new stablecoin, RLUSD. In a recent exchange with an XRP supporter on social media, Schwartz emphasized that the crypto continues to sit at the core of Ripple’s payment infrastructure, especially as the main bridge asset in cross-border transfers. XRP’s Role As A Bridge Asset Is Still Central While RLUSD plays a specific role, Schwartz reveals XRP’s utility in real financial use cases will ultimately boost its value. His comments reaffirm Ripple’s longstanding plan for the digital asset, relying on XRP for its proven liquidity and built-in role on the ledger as it explores other digital options. Related Reading: XRP Set To Explode? Analyst Sees $5 Surge Any Moment – Details In his response, Schwartz directly addressed growing speculation that the company may be shifting its attention away from XRP in favor of its new stablecoin, assuring that the digital asset remains Ripple’s cross-currency asset that allows for fast, low-cost currency exchanges. While Schwartz didn’t share exact data, he said he was confident that the token’s usage “dwarfs every other asset” in Ripple’s system. XRP links to how the XRP Ledger functions, so an increase in ledger activity is almost guaranteed to drive more demand for the crypto token, naturally lifting its price value as it becomes more essential in global financial workflows. Schwartz argued that as real-world adoption of the Ripple blockchain networks grows, so will demand for XRP. The embedded demand, as more businesses and developers build on XRPL, is what could be the core driver of XRP’s future price value. Ripple CTO: Stablecoins Support, XRP Sustains Some community members worried that Ripple’s new stablecoin RLUSD, launched in December 2024, could replace the crypto token, but Schwartz clarifies that the stablecoin and XRP serve different purposes. He said stablecoins like RLUSD are better suited for use cases that require a fixed value, such as when companies post collateral or need to enter and exit markets without dealing with large price swings. Related Reading: XRP Blows Cold: Price Crash To $2.15 Still Possible If Buyers Falter Volatility in crypto markets can be disruptive in these scenarios, and stablecoins avoid that issue by holding a steady price. However, Schwartz believes that for most other applications, especially those related to real finance and long-term holdings, digital assets like XRP are still the better choice. He noted that, unless highly risk-averse, most long-term users would likely prefer holding the top digital asset over cash because of their potential for upside and active role in blockchain ecosystems. The Ripple exec added that as more institutions turn to XRPL for financial use cases, XRP’s role in facilitating quick currency movement becomes more vital, particularly in volatile markets where stablecoins may not be ideal.  Schwartz made a subtle but important distinction, saying XRP’s place on XRPL is privileged. With this, the crypto token is less likely to be replaced or worked around, providing a long-term advantage that many other tokens may not have. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView.com

Ripple CTO David “JoelKatz” Schwartz has outlined how RLUSD—the upcoming stablecoin on the XRP Ledger—could initially trade at highly inflated prices, possibly even $1,200, despite its intended $1 peg. Speaking via X, he highlighted early supply bottlenecks, speculative fervor, and the fundamental market mechanics of stablecoins as factors likely to drive any short-lived spike. Why […]

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Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, and David Schwartz, the Chief Technology Officer of Ripple, have unveiled details about a potential collaboration between their respective blockchain platforms. The partnership aims to integrate Cardano’s advanced decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities with Ripple’s extensive liquidity network, potentially bridging two of the industry’s most prominent ecosystems. Potential Cardano And […]

In an exchange on X (formerly Twitter), Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz, also known as “JoelKatz”, addressed criticisms about his company and the XRP Ledger. Has Ripple Failed With Its Payments Business? User @188ape challenged Schwartz by questioning the uniqueness of the XRPL in today’s market, stating that it seems like “most new layer […]

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