David Schwartz, who served as chief technology officer at Ripple, has revealed that he sold nearly all of his cryptocurrency holdings, citing discomfort with the risks involved in holding digital assets. His disclosures point to substantial reductions across his positions in XRP, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), including a drop in his XRP holdings from 26 million tokens to 3 million.

The disclosures detail not just the scale of what was sold, but the personal reasoning and risk rules behind the sales, giving readers an unusually explicit account of how a senior figure at a major crypto company manages exposure to volatile assets.

According to information shared by Coin Bureau in an X post, Schwartz also cut his Bitcoin holdings from 1,500 BTC to just 1 BTC and reduced his Ethereum position from 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH. The figures illustrate the scale of his crypto sell-off, although the timing of the transactions and the total proceeds remain unclear.

Steep Reductions Across XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum

The disclosed numbers show that XRP took the largest reduction in absolute token terms. Schwartz's holdings fell from 26 million XRP to 3 million XRP, leaving him with a significantly smaller position in the token associated with Ripple.

His Bitcoin holdings underwent an even steeper proportional decline, dropping from 1,500 BTC to a single BTC, while his Ethereum holdings fell from 40,000 ETH to 6 ETH.

Despite the magnitude of these reductions, the available information does not establish exactly when Schwartz sold the assets or how much he received from the transactions. Coin Bureau highlighted three historical sale prices tied to his disclosures: Bitcoin at $750, Ethereum near $1 and XRP at $0.10. Those figures, however, do not amount to a complete transaction history, nor do they confirm the prices at which all of his holdings were sold, leaving the overall financial outcome of the sales unclear.

Until those gaps are filled, the sell-off's ultimate financial significance remains an open question — and any further disclosure from Schwartz or Coin Bureau about the timing and proceeds of the transactions is the natural detail to watch next.

Why the Former Ripple CTO Sold

Schwartz attributed the decision to a personal preference for avoiding financial risk. He explained that he is uncomfortable with the uncertainty of holding large cryptocurrency positions and had previously agreed with his wife to sell whenever prices reached new highs.

"Obviously, I wish I hadn't done those things," Schwartz said, acknowledging that some of his earlier selling decisions were ones he later regretted.

His comments offer insight into the personal risk-management approach behind the reductions. Rather than maintaining large crypto positions indefinitely, Schwartz said his strategy was to sell into each new price high, in line with the agreement with his wife. The admission also underscores the gap between recognizing an asset's potential long-term value and being comfortable with the volatility and uncertainty involved in actually holding it. It is also a reminder that close familiarity with a technology and its underlying business does not, by itself, make holding the associated assets any less financially risky.

Ripple Stock Remains in His Portfolio

Despite selling nearly all of his cryptocurrency holdings, Schwartz disclosed that he continues to own Ripple stock. The former CTO also acknowledged that his remaining equity position carries considerable risk, describing the exposure as something that "alone carries more risk than I wish I had."

The statement indicates that his concerns about financial risk extend beyond cryptocurrencies to his remaining investment in the company itself. While his XRP, BTC and ETH positions have been sharply reduced, the disclosure confirms he has not fully eliminated his exposure to Ripple through its stock. In effect, the risk he shed from tokens is now concentrated in a single equity position he has admitted is larger than he would like.

Schwartz's remaining crypto balances stand at 3 million XRP, 1 BTC and 6 ETH, alongside his continued ownership of Ripple stock.

This article is based on reporting originally published by Hokanews, citing disclosures shared by Coin Bureau.