David Schwartz, the former Chief Technology Officer of Ripple, acquired 26 million XRP early. He did not receive it as a gift. Instead, he traded Bitcoin for it, and his decision to sell early set the stage for one of crypto’s most discussed exit stories.
Crypto pundit BankXRP (@BankXRP) recently shared a table showing how much Schwartz’s holdings would have been worth if he had held his tokens. In 2012, those 26 million XRP carried a total value of $130,000. A year later, the figure rose to $390,000. By 2014, it reached $520,000.
However, the price fell sharply afterward. In both 2015 and 2016, the average XRP price was $0.006, making the total value $156,000.
David Schwartz Held 26 Million XRP – Here’s What It Was Worth Each Year From $130K to $59 Million and Back.
David once held 26 million XRP.
He sold a big portion when it was around $0.10 (worth about $2.6 million at the time).
Look at how much those same 26 million XRP would… https://t.co/I8rzdJ0vsm pic.twitter.com/dIdglbCow7— 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸XRP (@BankXRP) May 5, 2026
The 2017 Surge Changed Everything
XRP’s average price hit $2.30 in 2017. At that level, Schwartz’s 26 million XRP carried a value of $59.8 million. That year marked the first time the position crossed into the tens of millions.
Many analysts are still hopeful that XRP can experience a similar surge to 2017. However, the market turned in 2018. The average price dropped to $0.34, pulling the value back down to $8.84 million. In 2019, it fell further to $0.19, with the total sitting at $4.94 million.
Schwartz Sold Near the Bottom
Schwartz sold a significant portion of his holdings when XRP traded around $0.10. At this price, his 26 million tokens would have been worth $2.6 million. The data make clear how early that exit came. In 2020, the average price recovered to $0.21, bringing the value back to $5.46 million. In 2021, XRP averaged $0.83, lifting the position to $21.58 million.
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XRP’s Recovery
The 2022 average settled at $0.33. This makes the value $8.58 million. In 2023, the price climbed to $0.61, raising the total to $15.86 million. Then, 2024 delivered another significant move as XRP rose by 500% at the end of the year. The average price reached $2.08, pushing the 26 million XRP to a $54.08 million value, nearly matching the 2017 peak.
In 2025, the average price was $1.84, with a total value of $47.84 million. In 2026, the average is $1.40, representing $36.4 million so far. Schwartz bought XRP at $0.006.
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