Ripple’s David Schwartz Says XRP Can Flip Bitcoin. Here’s the $24.50 Math

Ripple's CTO Emeritus says XRP flipping Bitcoin is more likely than not, but the math behind that prediction reveals just how extraordinary the conditions would have to be for it to happen.

Ripple’s CTO Emeritus David Schwartz said, on September 9, that XRP (CRYPTO:XRP) flipping Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC), is “probably more likely than not.” However, that only happens if XRP grows faster than Bitcoin, and Bitcoin doesn’t have to shrink. XRP trades near $1.38 today, and matching Bitcoin’s market cap at current levels would put XRP at roughly $24.97.

That would be about 18 times XRP’s price today and 6.5 times its January 2018 all-time high of $3.84. Schwartz did not give a timeline or set his own price target. He described a scenario in which the entire digital asset market grows substantially, allowing the biggest cryptocurrencies to rise together as the overall market expands.

But getting XRP from $1.38 to $24.97 would require much more than a broad crypto rally. So what would have to happen for XRP to reach that level?

Schwartz Sees XRP Catching Bitcoin Through Growth

A listener named Angie asked Schwartz during an X Spaces hosted by ILLY on September 9, 2026, whether XRP could eventually flip Bitcoin. Schwartz answered, “Yeah, I do,” but made clear that he does not expect it to happen because Bitcoin loses value. In his view, XRP would have to grow faster than Bitcoin for the flip to happen.