Ripple’s latest stock buyback for $750 million has split the XRP community in two. While some members see the internal buying and selling cycle As a sign of strength for both the crypto payments company and XRP, others say the move exposes a cycle that has historically placed retail XRP holders at the bottom of the food chain.
Ripple Takeover Leaves Retail Questioning XRP Loyalty
Crypto analyst @WhaleFUD has sparked a new debate within the crypto community by developer details about Ripple’s internal buying and selling cycle and its impact on XRP. In an X post on Wednesday, he noted that Ripple sells XRP and uses the proceeds to fund share buybacks for its own private equity.
According to him, venture capital (VC) firms and institutional investors are buying shares of Ripple, the crypto company, rather than XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger (XRPL). This means that any increase in Ripple’s business value does not directly benefit XRP holders. As @WhaleFUD says, “retail is liquidity,” while “Wall Street is the winner.”
Unsurprisingly, the post sparked a strong backlash from various members of the XRP community, with many criticizing Ripple for favoring shareholders over XRP holders. Community Members argued that this structure gives Ripple no incentive to support the long-term success of XRP.
A few alleged that Ripple executives profit from XRP transactions by using blocked sales to finance buybacks and increase stock prices before the company’s initial public offering (IPO). They highlighted the launch of the RLUSD stablecoin as a product that competes with XRPL use caseswhich further implies that retail investors are being sidelined.
Additionally, they compared Ripple’s internal buying and selling cycle to historical crypto trends, citing 2017’s initial coin offerings (ICOs) and 2021’s layer 1 (L1) launches, in which retail holders provided liquidity while early investors repeated financial rewards. Another member added that Ripple now has no reason to guarantee profit for XRP holders, suggesting that the company has handed over to venture capital backers and is now prioritizing institutional gains.
Others say buyback signals confidence in XRP
As criticism from many in the crypto community has mounted, blockchain researcher BankXRP replied to the buyout news with a more positive outlook. He argued that Ripple’s latest takeover decision signals the strength of the company and XRP.
According to reports, Ripple launched a $750 million share buyback investors and employees, putting the company at a valuation of $50 billion. This represents a 25% increase from the crypto company’s $40 billion market value following its $500 million funding round in November 2025.
BankXRP sees tender offer as proof of Ripple’s liquidity and long term confidence in the XRP ecosystem. Notably, the buyback is progressing despite continued uncertainty in the crypto market and downward pressure on the price of XRP. The initiative is also supported by Ripple’s Recent Strategic Acquisitionsincluding its $1 billion purchase of GTreasury and $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, among others.
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