People With Higher IQ Are More Likely to Hold XRP: World Record Holder

Entrepreneur YoungHoon Kim, who claims to have the world’s highest IQ of 276, has said smarter investors are more likely to hold XRP.

In a post on X, Kim wrote that people with higher IQs may be more inclined to hold XRP. He also reminded readers that his post was not financial advice and encouraged followers to do their own research.

The remark comes just days after Kim revealed that he is now buying XRP, a notable move given his long-standing reputation as a Bitcoin maximalist. For much of his public crypto commentary, Kim focused almost exclusively on Bitcoin, repeatedly forecasting aggressive price targets.

Now, he is emerging as a prominent XRP bull, sharing bold outlooks almost daily since he first mentioned XRP on December 12 in a post on X.

Kim’s Bold 2030 Outlook for XRP

Kim’s recent statement suggests that holding XRP is more about long-term strategy than short-term gains. Two days ago, Kim predicted that XRP could reach $100 within the next five years.

This outlook would require nearly a 50x surge from XRP’s current price. Critics dismiss such projections due to the more than $6 trillion market capitalization they would imply. Firms such as Bitwise and other research groups predict XRP prices below $30 by 2030, even under highly optimistic scenarios.

Nevertheless, XRP bulls, now including Kim, continue to insist on a 2030 timeline for the $100 price target. The potential upside from XRP’s current price of under $2 helps explain why Kim argues that high-IQ investors should be holding XRP. However, the Bitcoin community does not share this perspective.

“XRP Holders Are Uninformed”

Last week, around the time Kim disclosed his entry into XRP, legendary trader Peter Brandt criticized XRP holders, describing them as some of the most “uneducated” perpetual bulls in the market.

Drawing on five decades of experience, Brandt has issues with XRP supporters who remain mostly bullish despite price action and market conditions, maintaining what he considers unrealistic and far-fetched expectations.

While Brandt has repeatedly issued bearish calls on XRP, he has also identified bullish patterns in the past. Nonetheless, he continues to view XRP holders as irrationally optimistic about the asset.

Meanwhile, in response to Kim’s latest post, XRP commentators such as X Finance Bull noted that XRP attracts individuals who focus on infrastructure rather than hype, citing payments, liquidity, and regulatory compliance. He added that this type of mindset is usually deliberate.

XRP appeals to folks who look at infrastructure instead of noise. Payments, liquidity, compliance. That mindset usually isn’t accidental.

— X Finance Bull (@Xfinancebull) December 15, 2025

Optimism Around the XRP Ecosystem

Meanwhile, renewed interest in XRP coincides with several developments. These include the launch of XRP ETF products that have attracted over $1 billion in inflows, Ripple securing approval to pursue a U.S. banking charter, and growing institutional experimentation with XRP treasury strategies.

Analysts also point to XRP’s relatively small global holder base of approximately 7.4 million wallets as evidence that adoption remains early when compared to traditional financial markets and the global population.