Dr. Jim Willie, a financial analyst with a PhD in statistics, said that big banks and private equity firms are deliberately keeping XRP price low.
He shared this view in a podcast with Black Swan Capitalist founder Versan Aljarrah. Willie suggested that XRP’s price action is not due to regular market forces, but rather a strategy by institutions to quietly buy XRP before its price rises significantly.
“Help Us Keep It Under $3”
Specifically, Willie says major banks, including Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon, are trying to keep XRP under $3 so they can purchase large amounts before its price increases.
According to Willie, these institutions are deliberately holding the price down to stockpile XRP before the market catches up to its true value.
Willie went further, claiming these banks could be coordinating directly with Ripple. He believes they want to accumulate XRP below $3 instead of paying $7–$8, which he considers closer to its true value.
NDAs and Shrinking Exchange Wallets
Willie also pointed to shrinking exchange wallets holding millions of XRP as a sign of hidden accumulation. For example, Coinbase’s XRP holdings dropped from nearly 1 billion tokens to just around 32 million XRP in September.
He argued that the absence of explanations from exchanges suggests many may be under non-disclosure agreements. NDAs, he said, could be masking the real flow of XRP into private custody or institutional pipelines.
Interestingly, Willie connected this with comments made during a panel discussion involving BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. When asked directly about BlackRock’s plans for an XRP-based ETF, Fink responded, “I can’t say”. Willie interpreted it as a subtle confirmation of restricted information.
Hydraulics, ETFs, and the Coming Squeeze
Furthermore, Willie compared future XRP price movement to a hydraulic pressure system, where money flowing out of Bitcoin and Ethereum would amplify XRP’s price.
In his analogy, shifting liquidity from a wide “tube” like Bitcoin into a narrower “tube” like XRP creates an exponential pressure effect. He believes XRP ETFs will accelerate this dynamic, especially as OTC supply dries up.
Willie: XRP Can Reach Trillions, Will Rival the Dollar
Meanwhile, Willie dismissed concerns about XRP’s market cap limitations, calling the idea “fallacious”. Instead, he believes XRP’s long-term role goes beyond payments, potentially replacing major functions of the U.S. dollar.
“I believe XRP will replace the dollar as the global reserve currency in its function regarding trade payments, as in treasury bills at the port, and as a stablecoin like RLUSD to replace treasury bonds,” Willie stated.
He also noted that XRP’s market cap could reach $100 trillion without much difficulty as its role in global trade becomes more established.
Willie described the current situation as a quiet shift in global finance: banks that once opposed Ripple are now positioning themselves as partners. He speculates about a future in which firms like JPMorgan potentially use Ripple’s technology to save billions in settlement costs.
While Willie has made bold statements about banks suppressing XRP, such views are popular within the XRP community and have no foundation beyond the belief that XRP should be worth more than its current price of $2. Critics insist that there is no concrete evidence of price suppression.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
