Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), David Schwartz, recently made it clear that the company is free to sell XRP whenever it needs to.
This was in response to Pierre Rochard, Vice President of Research at Riot Platforms, after he warned investors that they shouldn’t expect Ripple to prioritize their interests.
“They are free to dump on you, and you have no right to do anything about it other than join them in dumping XRP,” Rochard wrote on X. Schwartz agreed, saying, “100% correct. IMO, Ripple can, will, and should act in its own interest.” He also added that Ripple is not obligated to act in a way that benefits investors at its own expense.
The conversation gained momentum after blockchain investigator ZachXBT uncovered an old XRP wallet worth over $7 billion. The wallet, which had been inactive for more than six years, is believed to belong to Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen.
“XRP addresses activated by Chris Larsen still hold 2.7B+ XRP ($7.18B),” ZachXBT posted on Telegram. He also pointed out that these addresses moved over $109 million worth of XRP to exchanges in January 2025. Many are now questioning whether Larsen still has control over these funds.
Meanwhile, XRP recently saw a price jump after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to include it in a proposed U.S. crypto strategic reserve. Alongside Bitcoin, Solana, and Cardano, XRP was named as a key asset in the plan.
The news pushed XRP’s price to $2.99 on March 2, but the rally was short-lived. As of now, the price has dropped back to $2.45. Analysts warn that the excitement may not last long, as the reserve still needs congressional approval.
