XRP co-creator and former Ripple CTO David “Joel Katz” Schwartz says he hasn’t “bought XRP in a long time” and that holding Ripple stock is riskier than he’d like.
Posting to X on Monday, Schwartz said his aversion to risk has led him to sell “nearly all of the digital assets I’ve ever held.”
Schwartz also revealed that he sold around 2.5 million XRP in 2025 while paying $1.7 million in capital gains tax on the sale.
I haven't bought XRP in a long time. I am very uncomfortable with risk and have sold nearly all of the digital assets I've ever held. I still hold quite a bit of Ripple stock, and that alone is more risk than I wish I had.
According to Schwartz, he received this XRP in 2020 and 2023 when it hit highs of $0.6 and of $0.8 respectively. It then surged to $3.65 in 2025, increases of 508% and 356%.
According to Nasdaq Private Market, a secondary market stock tracker, Ripple shares are worth almost $94, down 22% over the last year but up 237% across the last two years.
Last May, Schwartz told onlookers, “If you want direct exposure to Ripple’s success or failure, you can buy Ripple stock on the secondary market if you qualify under US law. But you probably shouldn’t.”
Schwartz’s controversial XRP take was in response to the CEO of a crypto tax firm and their claim that the IRS is “dramatically” increasing the number of outgoing Letter 6174 notices to crypto traders.
Source link
