The Crypto Basic

David Schwartz, former Ripple CTO and now CTO Emeritus, recently addressed claims that XRP could reach $10,000. 

In his commentary, Schwartz suggested that if enough wealthy investors genuinely believed that XRP had a chance at reaching $10,000, the ensuing buying pressure from these individuals would have since pushed the price to at least $20.

Key Points

• Schwartz says if rich investors believed XRP could hit $10,000, they would have already pushed the price to at least $20.
• The former Ripple CTO once doubted XRP could reach $0.25, and even sold portions of his holdings at $0.10.
• XRP currently trades at $1.37, way above the price levels Schwartz once thought were unrealistic.

Ex Ripple CTO on Chances of XRP Hitting $10,000

The recent comments from David Schwartz came on the back of a discussion within the XRP community on X, where a user asked him to respond to a popular pricing formula that some crypto influencers have built an entire industry around. 

Notably, the formula in question is the crypto version of Chris Burniske’s equation, Price = PQ / (V × S), and influencers have used it to back projections of a $10,000 future for XRP. The user asked Schwartz to share his thoughts, especially for investors holding XRP with that expectation in mind.

In his reply, Schwartz said that if even a small group of very wealthy and rational investors believed there was a 1% chance XRP could reach $10,000 within 10 years, they would already be buying heavily. This would have been an effort to secure their positions before the $10,000 price materializes.

However, Schwartz further suggested that such buying activity would have pushed the XRP price above the current level, reaching at least $20. He then questioned why this sort of buying activity has not yet happened, implying that rational and wealthy investors do not believe in the $10,000 price.

Another community member argued that wealthy individuals focus more on protecting their money than chasing risky opportunities. In response, Schwartz said wealthy people often protect their wealth by taking risks that others are not comfortable taking, such as the scenario he presented.

Schwartz Speaks on Crypto Tribalism 

Meanwhile, Schwartz also shared thoughts regarding crypto tribalism during the ongoing XRP Las Vegas conference. He said Ripple should not try to block others or dominate the space, insisting that the industry should remain open so that innovation and competition can grow.

The former Ripple CTO then criticized extreme views within the crypto community. Schwartz said Bitcoin maximalists are wrong in their thinking, but he added that some XRP supporters also take things too far. 

He explained that what first drew him to crypto was Bitcoin’s early idea of replacing outdated systems that mainly benefit established players with better and more efficient technology.

Past Misjudgments

Following his comments, UnknowDLT, an XRP community, argued that Schwartz compares real-world XRP use with hypothetical situations in a way that weakens his argument. He rejected the idea that XRP cannot reach higher prices just because wealthy investors have not pushed it higher yet.

In a separate disclosure, UnknowDLT called attention to previous comments from Schwartz earlier in the year. Notably, when someone asked in January if XRP could realistically reach $100, Schwartz said he did not think it would happen. However, he also admitted that he had been wrong about XRP’s potential in the past.

Schwartz explained that in XRP’s early days, he found it hard to believe it would ever reach $0.25. As a result, he sold some of his holdings when the price rose to $0.1. Today, XRP trades at $1.37, showing how much the asset has grown beyond his earlier expectations.

In the past, Schwartz has also admitted to similar mistakes with other cryptocurrencies. He said he sold his Ethereum holdings too early as well, showing that he has not always predicted the market correctly.

XRP is sitting at a critical technical level, with analysts warning that its next move could define its short-term direction.

A recent chart shared by analyst Batman shows XRP resting directly on a long-standing bullish trendline, a level that has supported price action for weeks. According to the analyst, this zone now represents a decisive test for the asset.

Key Points

• XRP sits at a make-or-break trendline, with its next move likely to define short-term direction.
• A strong bounce could send XRP toward $1.45–$1.50, where key resistance has previously formed.
• Losing support may trigger a drop toward $1.20 or lower, confirming a bearish continuation.
• While broad price weakness persists, analysts continue to maintain double-digit outlooks.

XRP Trendline Support Faces Major Test

Batman’s chart highlights XRP consolidating along an upward-sloping support line, with price hovering around $1.37. This trendline has acted as a base during recent price movements, helping XRP maintain a structure of higher lows.

However, the analyst sees the current retest as more significant than previous ones. Batman notes that while XRP is “resting nicely” on the trendline, the market must now prove it can defend this level and push higher.

A successful bounce from here could open the door for a move back toward the $1.45–$1.50 range, where previous resistance has formed.

Breakdown Could Trigger Lower Lows

On the flip side, failure to hold this support could shift momentum back in favor of the bears. The chart outlines a potential breakdown scenario in which losing the trendline would likely lead to a lower low. Specifically, such a move could drag XRP’s price toward the $1.20 zone or below, depending on market conditions.

XRP Still Under Pressure

Despite today’s slight gain of 0.39%, XRP remains under heavy pressure on a wider timeframe. The asset is down 38.47% over the past year and has dropped roughly 60% from its 2025 peak of $3.65.

This context makes the current level even more important, as it could determine whether XRP stabilizes or continues its longer-term downtrend. Notably, Batman’s analysis aligns closely with earlier observations from other market watchers.

Other Analysts’ Observations

A few days ago, analyst Ali Martinez highlighted a multi-year ascending triangle, setting a $13 breakout target and a potential $0.90 bear market floor.

He warned of short-term downside risk, with XRP possibly dropping toward $0.90 before any sustained rally. His chart showed that $2 and $3.32 remain key resistance levels for XRP to overcome.

Other analysts, including EGRAG, share similar bullish outlooks, citing long-term channels pointing to a possible $9–$13 range in the next major move.

Meanwhile, according to analyst ChartNerd, XRP is amid a rare “Bull Switch” that has appeared only three times in 13 years. He said past instances preceded major rallies in 2017, 2021, and 2025.

While he gave no short-term target, the outlook supports double-digit price predictions, considering the magnitude of XRP’s price runs in those previous cycles. For now, a dip below $1 is what many are watching for.

For XRP, several events that preceded a bullish price action earlier are recurring, sparking optimism for a similar price action when market conditions improve.

Prominent market commentator Cryptoinsightuk highlighted these in a recent XRP price analysis, providing context for a change of course from the recent negative price trend. The fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has declined 3.8% since this week.

While sentiment remains fragile and price direction is uncertain, the analyst has identified indicators suggesting that XRP could rise to higher levels if history repeats.

Key Points

• Despite ongoing price correction, several indicators suggest XRP could rise to higher levels if history repeats.
• One such indicator involves XRP holding above a bull flag on the weekly timeframe.
• Further adding to the bullish optimism is the weekly RSI bullish crossover.
• Additionally, this breakout has also come with a MACD crossover, as green histograms are gradually printing on the weekly timeframe.
• Coincidentally, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently made the “lock in” comment, similar to a June 2025 prior to the bull flag breakout and RSI crossover.

XRP Bull Flag Still Intact

One indicator involves XRP holding above a bull flag on the weekly timeframe. This pattern began forming around the January 2025 peak of around $3.39, with prices fluctuating between its upper resistance and lower support.

However, whenever XRP breaks out from this structure, a strong bullish price action follows. An instance is the early July 2025 breakout, which led to its current all-time high of $3.66.

After this high, XRP entered a corrective phase, dropping back into the bull flag in January. The coin consolidated within this structure until it broke out last week, following a mild 2.7% growth. While this week has so far been negative for prices, XRP has somehow managed to maintain its trend above this flag pattern, keeping the prospect of an upside move alive.

Weekly RSI Crosses Bullish

Further adding to the bullish optimism is the weekly RSI bullish crossover. The RSI trendline at 36 crossed over its moving average line at 33.24 in mid-April, signaling that momentum is returning.

Cryptoinsightuk noted the last time this happened was in July 2025, when XRP broke out of the bull flag pattern to new all-time highs. This time, not only has the RSI crossed, but it is also much lower than the last time. According to the analyst, this gives the coin lots of room for growth when momentum turns positive.

Additionally, this breakout has also come with a MACD crossover, as green histograms are gradually printing on the weekly timeframe.

Ripple CEO’s “Lock In” Tweet Adds Spice

Coincidentally, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently made the “lock in” comment, similar to a June 27, 2025, post, which came up before the bull flag breakout and RSI crossover. Specifically, on April 28, he responded to a post from OKX spotlighting XRP with two words: “lock in.”

These exact words also appeared in the June 2025 tweet, in which he disclosed that Ripple is dropping its cross-appeal in the famous case against the US SEC. Garlinghouse ended the announcement with “lock in.”

While this might be coincidental, Cryptoinsightuk stated that it adds spice to the XRP price outlook. Its alignment with the bull flag breakout and RSI crossover further bolsters optimism.

Moreover, growing demand also increases XRP’s appeal. Whales have aggressively bought the dip, acquiring 1.15 billion XRP in 11 days. A combination of these factors suggests that an uptrend might not be far off.