Ripple Former CTO Says XRP Could Overtake Bitcoin With an 18x Surge

XRP is trading below $1.40, while Ripple’s former chief architect has quantified the maximalist dream: an eighteen-fold price rally. David Schwartz, Ripple’s former CTO and one of the primary designers of the XRP Ledger, quietly suggested this possibility during a live X Space session.

“It is more likely that XRP flips Bitcoin due to surge in price of XRP than the collapse of Bitcoin.”
David Schwartz, 2026 pic.twitter.com/hdDuF7VCEf

— MC Solar Wind (@MCSolarWind) September 9, 2026

Responding to a host who believes XRP will eventually surpass Bitcoin by market capitalization, Schwartz did not dodge the question; he reframed it. “I honestly have to say, I think XRP surging is probably more likely than not,” he said, adding that a flip is more plausible through XRP’s ascent than through Bitcoin’s collapse.

The clip spread rapidly among XRP holders eager for validation from a technical insider. While understandable, the numbers behind that comment warrant scrutiny.

Bitcoin (BTC)24h7d30d1yAll time

Bitcoin currently sits near $78,000, but XRP’s market capitalization is approximately $87.25 billion, or just 5.5% of Bitcoin’s size. Closing that gap without Bitcoin moving requires exactly the kind of surge Schwartz described. The near-term tape is not yet cooperating with that narrative.

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Can XRP Price Hit $1.50 This Week?

XRP’s daily range has remained tight between $1.375 and $1.40, a compression pattern consistent with the descending-triangle setup analysts have identified beneath resistance near $1.43–$1.46. Support sits at $1.34–$1.35, with deeper floors at $1.32 and $1.20 if momentum fails.

Bitcoin’s dominance reading of 59.05% and an altcoin season index of 39 both indicate that capital is still parked in BTC rather than rotating into XRP or other major altcoins.

Xrp (XRP)24h7d30d1yAll time

• Bull case: A clean break above $1.43 opens a path toward $1.50, and more aggressive models put $1.68–$2.00 in play if the CLARITY Act clears the Senate on September 15 and ETF inflows accelerate.
• Base case: Continued consolidation between $1.34 and $1.43 while traders wait on the Fed’s September 16 decision.
• Bear case: A break below $1.32 invalidates the near-term bullish structure and opens room toward $1.20.

For deeper scenario modeling, see this extreme XRP price target breakdown and a more moderate long-term forecast for comparison.

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LiquidChain Targets Early Mover Upside as Ripple Tests Key Levels

An 18x surge to flip Bitcoin is a headline, not a trade setup. XRP would still need to pass Ethereum, Tether, and BNB just to reach third place. That is the uncomfortable math often omitted from social media clips.

For traders chasing outsized returns without waiting for a market cap miracle, attention is shifting toward earlier-stage infrastructure plays.

The Order rests. The architecture never sleeps. 🌐https://t.co/vqvBcdSQYC pic.twitter.com/bNof4XHJ58

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LiquidChain ($LIQUID) is building a Layer 3 execution environment that fuses Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana liquidity into a single unified layer. With Liquid, developers deploy once and reach all three ecosystems rather than fragmenting across chains.

The presale token is priced at $0.014954, with $960K raised so far. Core features include Single-Step Execution, Verifiable Settlement, and a Deploy-Once Architecture designed to cut cross-chain friction.

Those tracking early-stage L3 infrastructure can research LiquidChain before the next presale price tier.

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