Ripple Veteran David Schwartz Slashes Holdings by 88%
Key Summary
Former Ripple chief technology officer David Schwartz confirmed liquidating 23,000,000 XRP alongside major reductions in Bitcoin and Ethereum reserves. Schwartz cited conservative risk management and legal sell schedules filed in advance.
Key Bullets
- David Schwartz admitted reducing his personal XRP holdings from 26,000,000 tokens down to 3,000,000 tokens over several years.
- The former Ripple executive also reported cutting his Bitcoin holdings from 1,500 BTC to just 1 BTC.
- Schwartz liquidated Ethereum reserves from 40,000 ETH down to 6 ETH while paying $1.70M in capital gains taxes.
- Public disclosures showed Schwartz maintains a strict written sales plan executed through legal counsel at least 30 days prior.
Schwartz Drops 23,000,000 XRP Tokens
Former Ripple chief technology officer David Schwartz disclosed public portfolio reductions totaling 23,000,000 XRP across personal wallets. Schwartz confirmed on social media platform X that his peak holdings of 26,000,000 tokens dropped to roughly 3,000,000 XRP. The adjustment represents an 88.46% decline from prior peaks. Public on-chain wallet tracking and executive statements verified the multi-year sell-off.
That liquidation extended far beyond native assets. Schwartz reported slashing Bitcoin reserves from 1,500 BTC down to 1 BTC. Ethereum holdings experienced a similar contraction, falling from 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH. Tax filings reviewed by financial reporters showed $1.70M paid in capital gains obligations for token disposals executed during 2025 alone.
Written Sales Plans Drive Liquidation
Executive disclosures revealed a rigid operational framework for asset divestment. Schwartz stated he enforces a written sales plan prepared by legal counsel at least 30 days before executing trades on spot order books. Risk aversion guided the liquidations rather than tactical market timing.
Retail sentiment across public community channels turned defensive following the revelations. Holders questioned whether executive exits contributed to localized price compression. Schwartz rejected those claims, stating his personal transaction volume remained too small to sway global market depth.
The Long-Term Sell-Off Across Executive Wallets
Today's development follows an established trajectory that began on November 9, 2026, when on-chain transaction history first confirmed that Ripple co-creator David Schwartz had aggressively offloaded early token positions. While prior public disclosures showed him shedding 2.5 million tokens and settling a $1.7M capital gains tax liability to reduce balances down to 2 million XRP, that multi-year divestment has now culminated in a staggering 88% reduction. Those earlier liquidations occurred alongside admissions of regretting past disposals, such as offloading 40,000 Ethereum for $1.05 apiece, cementing a consistent pattern of personal portfolio de-risking executed through strict legal trading frameworks.
Impact score:2 out of 5 | Narrative Tracker:Corporate Treasuries & Institutional Adoption
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