XRP Could One Day Steal Bitcoin's Crown, Says Ex-Ripple CTO Schwartz — But There's a Major Caveat

What happened

Former Ripple chief technology officer David Schwartz said on X Spaces that XRP might eventually overtake Bitcoin as the top cryptocurrency. He added that XRP could rise sooner if the XRP Ledger gains more use and adoption, but he noted a major caveat.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

If XRP were to surpass Bitcoin, investors holding XRP could see large gains, while Bitcoin-focused funds might lose appeal. However, the caveat Schwartz mentioned could slow XRP's growth, affecting its price and the revenue of companies that rely on XRP transactions.

Analyst inference

Currently, Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market value, and XRP is much smaller. Schwartz's comment could boost interest in XRP, potentially increasing its trading volume and price, but Bitcoin's established position makes any takeover a long-term, uncertain possibility.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Watch for any further public statements from David Schwartz or other Ripple executives about XRP's future, as their comments can influence investor expectations and trading activity. Confirmed
2. Investors should track adoption metrics of the XRP Ledger, such as the number of new wallets or transaction volumes, to see if usage is actually accelerating as Schwartz suggested. Proposed
3. Monitor regulatory decisions affecting XRP, because legal clarity could either remove barriers to its growth or reinforce Bitcoin's dominance, impacting which cryptocurrency investors favor. Analyst inference

Affected assets

• USDT — Tether
• CTO — Vida Global CTO
• BTC — Bitcoin
• BTCUSD — Bitcoin USD (BTCFi)
• TUSD — TrueUSD
• XRP — XRP
• USDC — USD Coin

Evidence

• zycrypto.com