Ripple Co-Founder Chris Larsen Linked to $7.18 Billion in Dormant XRP

A blockchain investigator identified dormant wallets associated with Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, containing over 2.7 billion XRP valued at approximately $7.18 billion. These wallets had been inactive for six to seven years but reactivated in January 2025.

Wallet Activity

More than $109 million in XRP transactions occurred, directed to exchanges like Coinbase, Bitstamp, and Bybit.
Concerns arose regarding whether Larsen regained access to the wallets or if transfers occurred earlier, potentially as far back as 2013.
The current control status of these wallets remains ambiguous.

XRP Price Movement

The wallet activations coincided with a proposal by US President Donald Trump for a strategic cryptocurrency reserve including XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano.
This announcement sparked an XRP price rise from $2.23 to $2.93 before stabilizing at $2.60, an 18% increase.

Previous Transactions

In September 2020, Larsen transferred about 500 million XRP (valued at $115 million then) to an undisclosed address for security reasons, according to his statement.
Speculation exists regarding other motivations behind his past transactions, though no evidence supports these claims.

Future Considerations

Questions arise about whether these activities indicate routine fund management or a larger strategy.
The XRP community is closely watching for potential significant transfers and their market impacts.