David Schwartz, the former Chief Technology Officer of Ripple, has firmly denied speculation that he completely liquidated his XRP holdings, confirming he still holds approximately 2 million tokens and maintains a long-term positive outlook on the ecosystem. Addressing questions about the significant reduction in his position, Schwartz clarified on the X platform that his XRP stash has dropped from a peak of 26 million coins to its current level, representing a 92% decrease.

While the exact transaction details were not disclosed, the reduction could stem from a variety of factors including sales, transfers, gifts, or expenditures, rather than being purely a result of market-driven selling. Schwartz previously mentioned that he trimmed his holdings when XRP was trading around $0.10, with the core rationale being to mitigate the risks associated with high cryptocurrency volatility.

Regarding his professional trajectory, Schwartz stepped away from day-to-day operations at the end of 2025 to assume a board member role, with Dennis Jarosch taking over the technical responsibilities. Despite this shift in duties, he retains his equity in Ripple along with a substantial amount of XRP. Notably, the date of August 17, 2026, has been flagged, suggesting that his asset allocation strategy remains in flux and that he has not entirely distanced himself from the company's core interests.

Schwartz's investment philosophy has been heavily influenced by his early experiences with Ethereum. He purchased 40,000 ETH at $0.311 and sold them when the price reached $1.05, using the proceeds to buy solar panels. That case of missing out on subsequent massive gains has made him more cautious in risk management. This latest disclosure of his XRP position follows that same logic, emphasizing asset preservation amid uncertainty rather than relying on overly optimistic price forecasts.