David Schwartz: XRP's Path to Overtaking Bitcoin

David Schwartz, Ripple's CTO Emeritus, stated on September 9, 2026, that XRP flipping Bitcoin is "probably more likely than not." This prediction hinges on XRP's growth outpacing Bitcoin's, rather than Bitcoin declining. For XRP to match Bitcoin's current market capitalization, it would need to reach approximately $24.97, an 18-fold increase from its current price.

Schwartz outlined a potential future where the entire digital asset market expands significantly, enabling major cryptocurrencies to ascend collectively. He emphasized that XRP's ascent would primarily depend on increased usage and adoption of the XRP Ledger. While XRP briefly surpassed Ethereum in market capitalization in late 2017 and early 2018, overtaking Bitcoin presents a far greater challenge due to Bitcoin's substantially larger market cap and broader investor base, including demand from spot ETFs and corporate treasuries.