As a controversy emerged over former Ripple chief technology officer David Schwartz (데이비드 슈워츠) reducing his XRP holdings, crypto commentator CoachJV argued it should not be interpreted as a sudden liquidation in the recent bear market or as a signal of exiting XRP.

On Nov. 12, blockchain media outlet The Crypto Basic reported that CoachJV stressed Schwartz’s reduced holdings have been public for years and should not be mistaken for a recent sale.

The controversy grew after Schwartz said he recently cut his XRP holdings from a past peak of about 26 million to about 3 million. He had earlier said in May that he still held more than 1 million XRP, and that he had reduced his Bitcoin and Ether holdings by a larger margin. Calling himself a risk-averse investor, he said he prefers reducing investment risk even if it means missing additional upside opportunities.

The recently disclosed holding of about 3 million XRP means a drop of about 23 million XRP from the past peak, but the core of the debate is that it cannot be seen as a one-time sale of 23 million XRP during the current market downturn. Schwartz said he sold about 2.5 million XRP in 2025 alone, and that most of those tokens had been received in 2020 and 2023. He also mentioned that the sale resulted in about $1.7 million in capital gains tax.

The backdrop to the market reaction includes XRP price weakness and its spread on social media. CoachJV said context matters and that it was neither a sudden liquidation nor evidence that Schwartz had abandoned XRP. He said some accounts are resurfacing old information without historical context and presenting it as a new development, arguing that fear-driven narratives generate more reaction.

CoachJV also stressed the need to distinguish conviction in an asset from unconditional long-term holding. Taking profits, securing liquidity and questioning unrealistic price forecasts can coexist with a positive view of an asset’s long-term outlook, he said.

He said he also sold some XRP when it hit predetermined profit targets and used the funds to invest in assets that generate cash flow and to secure liquidity. He said he later bought XRP again at lower prices after a sharp market drop on Oct. 10, 2025.

CoachJV said XRP still accounts for the largest share of his crypto holdings, but conviction should not replace logic. Trust in a specific asset and investment risk management are separate, and selling itself should not be taken as withdrawing support for that asset, he said.

“I’m going to say this as clearly as I possibly can because the amount of misinformation circulating around XRP right now is getting ridiculous. David Schwartz has been publicly discussing his XRP sales for YEARS. This is not some groundbreaking revelation. This is not a sudden liquidation. And this is certainly not evidence that he has abandoned XRP. He previously disclosed holding approximately 26 million XRP. His recent comments clarified that he now holds approximately 3 million XRP. He has openly discussed reducing his financial exposure and managing personal risk. So why are people acting like this happened yesterday? Because fear generates engagement, and engagement generates revenue. Some influencers have figured out that keeping you emotionally unstable is more profitable than keeping you educated. They take old information, remove the historical context, manufacture urgency, and present it as breaking news. And people fall for it every single time. There’s a massive difference between someone systematically reducing their personal financial exposure over several years and someone suddenly dumping their holdings because they’ve lost confidence in an asset. Those are two completely different narratives. You don’t have to agree with Schwartz’s financial decisions. You don’t have to own XRP. But at least have the intellectual discipline to understand the facts before spreading panic. Stop confusing recycled information with breaking news. Stop confusing personal risk management with abandonment. And stop allowing people who profit from your emotions to control your financial decisions. Warriors, emotional discipline is a competitive advantage. Protect it.”