Longtime crypto investor Crypto Bitlord has accused Ripple of enriching itself on the expense of XRP holders.
In a put up on X, Bitlord claimed Ripple “dumped billions” of {dollars}’ price of XRP on retail traders and later used these funds to amass real-world firms. In line with him, XRP holders have “by no means benefited,” whereas solely Ripple Labs has profited from the technique.
His remarks mark a pointy flip from his earlier bullish stance on XRP, when he urged followers to build up the token in periods of low worth motion.
Key Factors
The Set off
Bitlord’s feedback got here in response to a put up by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse from October 2025. On the time, Garlinghouse highlighted the corporate’s acquisition of Hidden Highway, now rebranded as Ripple Prime.
He famous that with the closure of Hidden Highway, Ripple had accomplished 5 main acquisitions in roughly two years. These embrace GTreasury, Rail, Commonplace Custody, Metaco, and Hidden Highway. The CEO emphasised that XRP sits “on the middle of every little thing Ripple does” and inspired supporters to “lock in.”
Ripple described Ripple Prime as making it the primary crypto firm to personal and function a world, multi-asset prime dealer geared toward serving institutional shoppers at scale.
Ripple’s Place: Strategic Strikes to Strengthen XRP
Nevertheless, Garlinghouse has persistently argued that Ripple’s acquisition technique is to strengthen the XRP ecosystem and develop the utility of the XRP Ledger.
Talking lately in regards to the firm’s path, he defined that the acquisitions weren’t random however aligned with long-term infrastructure objectives. In line with Ripple’s management, instruments reminiscent of institutional custody, treasury software program, and liquidity options are to deepen on-chain exercise and improve adoption.
A part of that technique consists of RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin, which Garlinghouse says enhances liquidity on the XRP Ledger and advantages builders, establishments, and cost flows.
Ripple has additionally maintained a bank-first strategy since its early days. Whereas the technique as soon as drew criticism, it has positioned the corporate as a blockchain infrastructure supplier for monetary establishments reasonably than a disruptor working in opposition to them.
Rising Frustration Amongst Some XRP Holders
Notably, Bitlord’s criticism displays common frustration amongst some XRP holders, notably long-term traders who anticipated considerably larger worth targets over the previous decade.
In August 2025, Bitlord publicly threatened to promote all his XRP if it returned to $2, arguing that such a transfer would sign failure after greater than a decade of holding.
That put up sparked debate. Some supporters defended Ripple’s long-term technique, whereas others questioned whether or not the corporate’s institutional development has actually benefited retail traders.
XRP Value and Ripple’s Technique
Certainly, XRP has struggled to achieve constructive worth motion in latest weeks, with the value dipping to $1.11 earlier this month. This weak efficiency has led many to wonder if Ripple’s company growth instantly will increase XRP’s worth.
Critics argue that Ripple’s acquisitions primarily strengthen the corporate, not essentially the token’s worth. In the meantime, supporters imagine that constructing institutional infrastructure and reaching regulatory readability may help long-term adoption and ultimately increase XRP.
At current, the scenario highlights a rising divide between Ripple’s enterprise-focused strategy and retail holders who measure success primarily by worth efficiency.
DisClamier: This content material is informational and shouldn’t be thought-about monetary recommendation. The views expressed on this article might embrace the writer’s private opinions and don’t replicate The Crypto Primary opinion. Readers are inspired to do thorough analysis earlier than making any funding selections. The Crypto Primary isn’t liable for any monetary losses.
