TLDR
- David Schwartz says his XRP holdings declined from approximately 26 million tokens to 3 million.
- His Bitcoin holdings reportedly fell from 1,500 BTC to one BTC.
- Schwartz disclosed reducing his Ether holdings from around 40,000 ETH to six ETH.
- He reported selling 2.5 million XRP in 2025 and paying approximately $1.7 million in capital gains taxes.
- Schwartz says he arranges XRP sales through written plans established at least 30 days beforehand.
Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz has disclosed substantial reductions in his cryptocurrency holdings. He said his XRP position fell from about 26 million tokens to 3 million. That represents an approximately 88.5% decline from his reported XRP peak. He linked XRP, Bitcoin, and Ether sales to his personal aversion to risk. His comments describe years of portfolio decisions, not a newly announced liquidation.
In a November 10 X post, Schwartz said his Bitcoin holdings fell from 1,500 BTC to one. He also placed his remaining Ether at six ETH, compared with a previous 40,000 ETH position. The figures represent approximate personal holdings, not verified exchange transactions.
It's not a secret. I think I'm down from a high of around 26 million XRP to around 3 million XRP. Down from around 1,500 BTC to 1 BTC. Down from around 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH.https://t.co/EnFjk9aXu1
— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) November 10, 2026
Written XRP Sales Plans Address Trading Concerns
Schwartz provided additional details about his trading arrangements during a November 9 discussion about cryptocurrency taxes. He said he sold approximately 2.5 million XRP in 2025. Most of those tokens came into his possession during 2020 and 2023.
He reported paying approximately $1.7 million in capital gains taxes on those sales. However, he did not disclose their combined proceeds or individual execution prices. That leaves the realized gains and the broader portfolio’s sale history unclear.
Schwartz said he arranges written XRP sales plans with an attorney at least 30 days beforehand. He explained that the procedure aims to avoid accusations of trading on confidential information. His example concerned potential XRP Ledger vulnerabilities that might become public before a transaction.
The arrangement is his described personal practice. His posts do not establish whether Ripple requires comparable safeguards for other executives.
Ripple Shares Remain Despite Crypto Reductions
Schwartz said he had not purchased XRP for a long time. He said investment risk makes him uncomfortable, prompting sales of nearly all his digital assets.
However, he still owns a substantial amount of Ripple stock. He acknowledged that the company shares alone represent more risk than he prefers.
That distinction matters because Ripple equity and XRP are separate financial interests. Company shares represent ownership in Ripple, while XRP operates as the XRP Ledger’s native asset. His remaining shares do not establish any plan to acquire more XRP.
Earlier Statements Show a Long-Term Selling Strategy
Schwartz previously described an agreement with his wife to sell cryptocurrency whenever prices reached new highs. He acknowledged regretting some early transactions but maintained that limiting exposure matched his risk tolerance. CoinCentral documented his defense of earlier XRP sales in May. He rejected the view that selling cryptocurrency carries a moral disadvantage compared with holding.
