Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz has been appointed as an Honorary Board Member of the XRP Ledger Foundation, marking a significant shift in his involvement with the XRP ecosystem. According to recent reports, this appointment represents a formal governance role within the foundation that oversees the XRP Ledger. Schwartz previously helped design the XRP Ledger before retiring from the chief technology officer role earlier this year, and his early XRP allocation as a Ripple co-founder continues to generate substantial lifetime returns despite his reduced digital asset exposure.
Ripple ex-CTO David Schwartz revealed that XRP generated more personal wealth for him than any other cryptocurrency, even though he has steadily reduced his digital asset exposure over time. According to reports from X, Schwartz helped design the XRP Ledger before retiring from the chief technology officer role earlier this year. When asked which token paid him the most, Schwartz disclosed that he once held 26 million XRP and also owned roughly 1,000 Bitcoin (BTC) and 40,000 Ethereum (ETH) tokens. His early XRP allocation as a Ripple co-founder still produced larger lifetime returns than his Bitcoin or Ethereum bets, with XRP hitting an all-time high of $3.65 in July 2025 and currently trading near $1.46, ranking fourth by market value.
Schwartz admitted that he sold his Ethereum holdings at roughly $1.05 per token and has openly regretted the call ever since. As reported by X, ETH has since traded thousands of dollars above that level. His Bitcoin position followed a similar pattern, with Schwartz cutting his BTC holdings from around 1,000 coins to fewer than one before Bitcoin reached six figures. The pattern reflects Schwartz's risk-averse investing approach, where he has previously described himself as preferring to lock in gains rather than wait for larger future moves. His remaining exposure sits almost entirely in XRP and Ripple equity, with the company carrying an estimated $40 billion private valuation.
Schwartz acknowledged a paradox in his thinking, every major crypto bet he made worked out far better than he expected, yet he still struggles to embrace risk emotionally. According to X reports, when asked what he would tell a younger version of himself, Schwartz said he would advise taking more risk in crypto. However, he conceded that his younger self likely would have ignored the guidance anyway. The prolonged climb of XRP gave Schwartz a multi-million dollar windfall, with the size of his founding stake surviving years of gradual selling. His current portfolio reflects this caution, with his remaining exposure concentrated in XRP and Ripple equity, now including his formal leadership role within the XRP Ledger Foundation.
