Here’s the Mysterious XRP Ledger Co-Founder Who Holds 2% of All XRP

An analyst calls Arthur Britto one of crypto’s most important yet unknown figures after a rare public message from the XRP founder following a decade of silence.

In a series of tweets, the widely followed XRP analyst “All Things XRP” spotlighted Arthur Britto, one of Ripple’s original architects. He described Britto as a key figure in crypto history who remains largely unknown to the public.

The Hidden Founder of Ripple

Arthur Britto notably co-founded Ripple Labs in 2012 alongside David Schwartz, Chris Larsen, and Jed McCaleb. More importantly, he helped build the XRP Ledger as an alternative to Bitcoin, aiming to offer faster, more scalable, and energy-efficient transactions.

Britto played a pivotal role in shaping XRP’s design as a decentralized payment system intended to disrupt traditional finance. With a focus on low fees and high speed, XRP aimed to address the inefficiencies that plagued early cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. His early contributions helped establish XRP as one of the top digital assets by market capitalization.

However, unlike his co-founders, Britto has largely avoided the limelight, rarely appearing in public or granting interviews.

Is Arthur Britto Satoshi?

His identity has remained largely unknown despite his legacy. Consequently, Britto’s extreme privacy has drawn comparisons to that of Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Some even speculate that Britto could be Satoshi himself, though no evidence supports this theory. Interestingly, some find humorous hints in Satoshi’s last known public appearance, which coincided with the launch of the XRP Ledger.

Meanwhile, his 2% stake in XRP, secured in a 2012 agreement, further cements his influence in Ripple’s foundation.

Cryptic Return After 14 Years

Last month, Britto reemerged from the shadows and posted a single emoji on X. This marked his first public appearance in over a decade. The post was verified by Ripple CTO David Schwartz, sparking a wave of speculation.

Some suggested it was a subtle hint about a major development in the XRP ecosystem, noting that Britto doesn’t post without reason.

Interestingly, the XRP community has widely attributed to Britto the ambitious prediction that XRP could someday reach $10,000. However, this remains unconfirmed.

Still, Pulling Strings Quietly?

While Britto continues to stay behind the scenes, he remains active in blockchain innovation through PolySign, a crypto custody infrastructure firm he co-founded.

Notably, PolySign was the parent company of Standard Custody & Trust Company, which is now part of Ripple and is referred to as Ripple Custody. The firm offers institutional-grade digital asset custody services.

Essentially, XRP supporters believe that although Britto remains largely invisible to the public, his quiet influence continues to shape Ripple’s broader strategic direction. However, this remains speculative.