Ripple Exec Explains Why XRP Price Is Pumping Hard Today

Source: CryptoNewsNet Original Title: Ripple Exec Explains Why XRP Price Is Pumping Hard Today Original Link:

XRP Outperforms the Market as Prices Surge

XRP price touched the $2.40 region following a roughly 20% surge in the last 24 hours. The last time XRP traded at this level was in November 2025.

With this impressive rebound, XRP’s weekly gains improved by about 28%, significantly outpacing Bitcoin’s 7% advance over the same period.

Since the start of the year, XRP has climbed more than 30%, rebounding from December lows of $1.70. The token began the year near $1.84 and has since pushed as high as $2.41.

What’s Pumping XRP? David Schwartz Explains

As XRP accelerated, software engineer Vincent Van Code took to X to ask what was driving the move. He questioned whether the rally was news-driven or truly organic, noting that a non-news-based surge could signal a larger breakout phase for XRP.

Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz, now serving as CTO Emeritus, responded with humor. He jokingly suggested the XRP pump happened because he retired. Meanwhile, he added that cutting his hair might be his next market-moving move.

It’s because I retired. Next I’ll try cutting my hair.

— David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz

Van Code replied in the same playful tone, joking that perhaps Schwartz retired because he already knew XRP was about to surge. He later clarified that the exchange was all in good fun.

Schwartz’s Transition at Ripple

Back in October, Schwartz announced he would step down from his day-to-day role at Ripple after more than 13 years with the company. He reflected on his long career in blockchain, including co-creating the XRP Ledger and helping define Ripple’s technical direction.

While retiring from daily responsibilities, Schwartz noted he is not leaving XRP behind. He transitioned into Ripple’s Board of Directors as CTO Emeritus and will be working on XRP-based initiatives.

He has also expressed interest in returning to hands-on development, exploring new XRPL use cases, experimenting with code, and potentially launching new projects beyond Ripple’s current focus.

What Comes Next for XRP

With XRP now outperforming much of the market, traders are projecting a price rally to its all-time high. Community figures have suggested XRP is on track to repeat previous bull runs, with some projecting targets between $3.66 to $4, while others are calling for even higher prices around $8, representing a nearly 4x increase from current levels.