Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz said it is difficult to imagine the XRP Ledger becoming successful without XRP eventually capturing a meaningful share of that value, but the comment has not quieted frustration among some long-term holders.
“I really do think it’s hard to believe we will end up in a world where XRPL is successful but XRP fails to capture a good fraction of that value,” Schwartz said in his latest response to the ongoing XRP utility debate.
The comment extends Schwartz’s argument that XRP’s long-term value proposition rests on its privileged position within the XRP Ledger rather than transaction fees alone.
XRP currently trades near $1.09, while CoinMarketCap data shows the asset down roughly 22% over the past month.
“Another 5 or 10 Years of the Same Misery?”
XRP community member Peanut Gallery (@1_800CRYPTO) responded by shifting the discussion from eventual value capture to how long holders may need to wait.
Peanut Gallery argued that, despite years of development and bullish expectations, long-term investors are still waiting for XRP’s price to reflect that progress.
“Now we’re left wondering if we’ll have to endure another 5 or 10 years of the same misery,” the account said, describing that uncertainty as the core frustration facing XRP holders.
The comment reflects a broader sentiment already visible across the community. The Crypto Basic recently reported that XRP holders have increasingly challenged Schwartz over years of disappointing price performance.
My2Cents Questions Why XRP Has Failed to Hold More Value
My2Cents (@MrEllzee), whose earlier post helped start the wider discussion, agreed with Peanut Gallery.
He questioned why XRP has failed to retain more value despite what he described as years of positive announcements surrounding Ripple and the XRP Ledger.
The concern goes directly to the gap between ecosystem progress and token value capture.
That disconnect has become increasingly visible as Ripple’s corporate progress and XRP’s price have moved in opposite directions. Ripple has expanded across payments, stablecoins, custody and institutional infrastructure, while XRP has recently fallen back toward the $1 region.
Schwartz’s Argument Is About Long-Term Value Capture
Schwartz’s latest statement is more specific than simply saying XRPL growth is good for XRP.
His view is that a successful XRP Ledger should ultimately create value for XRP because of the asset’s unique position on the network. He has previously highlighted XRP’s lack of counterparty risk, jurisdiction-neutral nature and role in XRPL autobridging.
However, he has also stressed that XRPL was not designed specifically to make XRP’s price rise, and that short- to medium-term price may not move directly with utility.
That distinction remains central to the debate.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has separately described XRP as foundational to Ripple’s longer-term financial infrastructure plans, including an ambition for XRP to become an “institutional gold standard for crypto rails”.
For holders such as Peanut Gallery and My2Cents, however, the issue is no longer whether XRP could eventually capture XRPL’s value. It is how long that process could take—and whether another five or ten years of waiting would be acceptable.
Schwartz’s latest response offers confidence in XRP’s long-term relationship with XRPL success, but it does not provide a timetable or price target for when that value capture would become visible in the market.
