Key Takeaways
- Ripple’s former CTO dismissed conspiracy theories about secret XRP adoption.
- A prediction from Grok has gone viral after suggesting XRP could reach $8–$15 in a strong bull cycle.
- Analysts have pushed back against the bullish outlook.
Renewed debate over XRP’s long-term price potential is gaining traction, as bullish projections driven by AI have collided with cautionary remarks from Ripple’s leadership.
While recent forecasts suggest XRP could climb as high as $15 in a strong crypto cycle, Ripple’s former Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz has rejected claims about any hidden government plans or secret deals — dampening hopes of a surge in mass institutional adoption.
Schwartz Rejects ‘Secret Rollout’ Narratives
David Schwartz has pushed back firmly against the longstanding speculation that Ripple is quietly coordinating a large-scale XRP adoption strategy behind closed doors, particularly involving central banks.
Addressing the rumors on X, he said that those who believed the majority of them were “fooling” themselves.
He acknowledged that confidentiality is a standard part of Ripple’s business relationships but warned against overinterpreting it.
“Ripple’s partners insist on NDAs to keep their business confidential,” Schwartz said.
He stressed that the existence of non-disclosure agreements does not imply a major undisclosed event waiting to unfold.
Schwartz also clarified that engagement with central banks should not be mistaken for imminent XRP adoption.
Crypto personality Mickle highlighted earlier comments from Ripple’s board director who claimed the form was in close talks with 30 central banks.
Wallis has claimed five were announced, five unannounced while 20 were in conversation.
In response, Schwartz wrote: “Right, those relationships are public.”
“A conspiracy theory would be something like claiming that many of those central banks are going to back their currencies with XRP,” he added.
Schwartz Casts Doubt on $50–$100 XRP Targets
In January, Schwartz also poured cold water on some of the more extreme price projections circulating within the XRP community, particularly those suggesting the token could climb to between $50 and $100 in the near future.
Responding to a question on X about whether such levels were achievable, Schwartz declined to endorse the idea.
“I don’t feel comfortable saying something like that,” he wrote.
“While I don’t think it’s likely, I didn’t think it was likely that XRP would ever hit $0.25.”
He used the example to underline how difficult it is to forecast crypto markets and noted that even early milestones once seemed unrealistic.
“I started selling XRP at $0.10 because it seemed insane. I remember when Bitcoin hitting $100 seemed like an impossible dream,” he added.
The remarks triggered a sharp reaction from some long-term XRP supporters, many of whom have held expectations of significantly higher valuations for years.
Market Pricing Reflects Real Expectations
In a follow-up post, Schwartz argued that current market prices already reflect what investors genuinely believe about XRP’s future potential.
“If many rational people believed that there was a 10% chance that XRP hit $100 within a few years, they definitely wouldn’t sell very much today at much less than $10,” he said.
He added that such conviction would naturally drive aggressive buying and push prices higher.
“The current trading price is well below $10 shows that there aren’t very many people who really think it has a 10% chance of hitting $100 within a few years with enough confidence to put their money where their mouth is,” he wrote.
“So anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth.”
Schwartz concluded by noting that, in his view, crypto markets tend to behave rationally most of the time.
AI Prediction Sparks $15 XRP Price Debate
Despite the dampening of institutional mass adoption from Ripple’s leadership, bullish sentiment has been reignited by a recent AI-generated projection circulating on X.
In response to a query about XRP’s potential in a scenario where Ethereum reaches $54,000, Grok—Elon Musk’s AI chatbot—offered a sharply optimistic outlook.
According to the post, if Ethereum were to stage a significant rally, XRP could benefit from broader market momentum:
“If ETH rips to $54,000 on that fractal (a massive ~23x from here), XRP would likely see a strong sympathy move in a full crypto bull cycle.”
The AI further outlined a potential price range:
“Realistically? $8–15 range feels plausible with major catalysts (clarity, ETF flows, adoption).
Adding: “Above $20 would need blow-off top mania. Pure speculation, nothing guaranteed.”
The model also noted XRP’s historical correlation with Ethereum during periods of market euphoria.
CCN asked other chatbots for their take on the theory before heading to our in-house analysts for their perspective.
ChatGPT’s XRP Price Prediction
ChatGPT struck another optimistic tone when asked whether XRP could realistically climb toward Ethereum’s valuation under an extreme bull market scenario.
The model said XRP’s chances would hinge on tangible adoption in global payments infrastructure.
“XRP’s strength lies in its positioning within cross-border settlement and institutional finance,” ChatGPT said.
It added that a meaningful re-rating would likely require clear regulatory frameworks to be inputted first.
“For XRP to approach Ethereum’s market cap, you would need sustained institutional demand, not just retail-driven momentum,” the model explained.
Claude’s Prediction
Claude took a more analytical approach, outlining a theoretical path where XRP could narrow the gap with Ethereum, but only under specific conditions.
“For XRP to hit $15 at its current circulating supply its market cap would need to reach roughly $870 billion—about 10x its current $86 billion cap,” it said.
“It’s possible under the right conditions—especially if Ethereum were to reach $54,000, which would imply a crypto market in full-blown mania,” it added.
However, Claude said that it would hinge on a long list of things going right, including major ETF approvals and huge institutional buying.
“Grok’s prediction is a projection based on historical patterns, not a guarantee,” it said. “The $8–$15 range represents an optimistic ceiling, not a base case.”
CCN’s XRP Price Reality Check: The Market Cap Math Behind $15
Amid the growing AI optimism, analysts have urged a more grounded assessment of what a $15 XRP price would actually require.
Victor Olanrewaju, an analyst at CCN, highlighted the scale of capital needed to support such a valuation, arguing that it’s “near-impossible” in the current climate.
“XRP hitting $15 sounds exciting. Until you run the numbers,” he said.
Olanrewaju noted that at $15, XRP’s market capitalization would approach $923 billion based on circulating supply.
When accounting for its full supply, the figure climbs significantly higher.
Adding: “At $15, that’s a $923 billion market cap. When you factor in full dilution across all 100 billion tokens in total supply, you’re looking at $1.5 trillion, which is close to the current Bitcoin market cap.”
Olanrewaju said this comparison underscores just how ambitious such projections are.
“Asking XRP to reach $15 is the exact same conversation as asking Ethereum to hit $54,000. Same math. Same scale of capital required.”
“To get there, XRP doesn’t just need to pump. It needs to absorb enough liquidity.”
According to him, market structure ultimately dictates outcomes, regardless of sentiment.
“But the market cap math doesn’t care about narratives. It demands real money, at a scale most people posting $15 price targets aren’t accounting for.”
While he did not completely rule out the possibility, Olanrewaju described the target as extremely difficult under current conditions.
“For me, it’s near-impossible given the current market conditions and recent history. But things change, but this potential target still sounds challenging to reach.”
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
