Could Satoshi Be a Major XRP Holder? Ripple’s CTO Weighs In

What if the creator of bitcoin had also held a significant reserve of XRP? This is the hypothesis revived by an unexpected statement from David Schwartz, Ripple’s CTO, during a 2023 court hearing. Shared again on the social network X, this revelation intrigues. One of the pillars of the XRP Ledger ecosystem hints at a possible connection between Satoshi Nakamoto and Ripple. A sentence that went unnoticed at the time but could reshuffle the narrative of the founding story of the two largest cryptos.

A statement under oath that raises questions

In a transcript of a 2023 court hearing from the trial between the SEC and Ripple, one excerpt draws attention once again. Shared by the user @XrpHodL_ on X (formerly Twitter), this passage reveals a direct statement from David Schwartz, Ripple’s CTO, which today sparks renewed interest within the crypto ecosystem.

When asked by the court about the similarities between bitcoin and XRP, David Schwartz briefly strays from the technical subject and utters a particularly intriguing sentence: “Toshi, the original creator, probably held an enormous amount of XRP at that time”.

David Schwartz said Satoshi holds$XRP …

LINK TO COURT CASE PDF BELOWhttps://t.co/NgaHK0tbyE pic.twitter.com/0UH4Sc1QPK

— 🎯🥇👨🏽‍🚀 (@XrpHodL_) July 4, 2025

This statement clearly evokes Satoshi Nakamoto, nicknamed “Toshi” in some crypto circles, and refers to an estimated period around 2017, according to elements contained in the transcript. This passage raises several concrete points:

• The statement was made in an official legal setting, in response to a question asked in a US court, which reinforces its importance;

• The term “a considerable amount of XRP” is particularly meaningful in the context of 2017, a year when the circulating supply of XRP already exceeded 38 billion tokens;

• The implicit link established between Satoshi Nakamoto and XRP constitutes a clear break with the widespread idea that Satoshi was only exposed to bitcoin;

• No direct evidence is provided in the statement, but its content remains ambiguous enough to revive speculation.

By bringing back this sentence, the community rediscovers a forgotten part of a well-covered hearing. And if this mention had gone unnoticed until now, it could well reactivate some long-set-aside hypotheses today.

An old hypothesis revived by an offhand remark

In the same discussion thread on X, a second element attracts attention: a screenshot of an exchange between internet users, where Tiffany Hayden, a well-known personality in the XRP ecosystem, comments on Schwartz’s statement and ironically says: “I just wanted everyone to know you’re definitely Satoshi”.

The message is meant to be lighthearted, but it rekindles an old rumor: that which places David Schwartz among the serious candidates for the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. While this hypothesis has circulated for years, it had until now never been supported by a direct statement involving a possible holding of XRP by bitcoin’s creator.

David Schwartz has always denied being Satoshi, while acknowledging several times that he contributed to improving the Bitcoin code in the early 2010s. These facts are documented, notably in technical forums from that era.

However, he has never ventured to suggest any connection with the early Bitcoin transactions or the “genesis block”. His sentence before the court, although indirect, therefore raises an important question: is it a simple technical comment misinterpreted, or a disguised confession?

Schwartz’s statement, although isolated, injects a new element into the collective imagination of the sector. In the absence of concrete evidence, it mainly fuels curiosity and speculation. However, in a universe as sensitive to narratives as crypto, that is enough to reignite the search for Satoshi and redefine some parts of the storytelling surrounding the industry’s key players. What if the creator of bitcoin was an artificial intelligence?