Top 10 XRP Owners: Who Owns the Most XRP in 2024?

The native cryptocurrency of the payment network Ripple, XRP, has been making headlines ever since the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opened a case against it in December 2020. 

Even though Ripple had managed to win the case in July 2023 in a partial victory for both parties, allegations made against the company in the likes of Ripple targeting institutional investors with its marketing, continue to surface. 

As the company’s Senior Director W. Olver Segovia announced on 2 February 2024 that Ripple plans to expand its services in the US, potentially onboarding an array of new customers, let’s look at the biggest XRP holders.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways:
2. Top 10 XRP Holders
3. Who Owns the Most XRP: Did Ripple vs. SEC Affect Ownership?
4. Are Institutional Investors Still Top XRP Holders?
5. The Bottom Line
6. FAQs
7. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways:
2. Top 10 XRP Holders
3. Who Owns the Most XRP: Did Ripple vs. SEC Affect Ownership?
Show Full Guide
4. Are Institutional Investors Still Top XRP Holders?
5. The Bottom Line
6. FAQs
7. References

Top 10 XRP Holders

Cryptocurrency whales can exercise a lot of power over the digital assets market because they hold significant values of a certain token. 

Their trading activities, for example, can lead to significant price fluctuations by either selling a big portion of their holdings or buying even more, which could force a certain cryptocurrency to either drop or surge in value. 

Dmitry Mishunin, the CEO of HashEx Blockchain Security, said:

“A high concentration of XRP ownership suggests that a small number of investors hold a significant portion of the currency. This situation can lead to price manipulation and increased volatility, potentially deterring broader investment due to perceived centralization and lack of market fairness.”

What does the concentration of XRP ownership look like in 2024 and who owns the most XRP tokens?

The total number of Ripple tokens in circulation as of July 2, 2024 surpasses 55 billion coins, according to data published on CoinMarketCap. 

As of the same date, CoinCarp noted that XRP was held by 4,840,747 individual wallets. However, XRPScan’s data suggests there were 5,232,469 active accounts.

The top 10 Ripple token holders held over 41% of the total token supply, and the top 100 held over 73%.

So, who has the most Ripple tokens? Most wallet addresses in the top 100 Ripple billionaires and millionaires list are linked to a number of prominent exchanges, including Ripple itself, Binance, Uphold, and Kraken. 

The wallet address of the top holder of Ripple is linked to Ripple11 specifically. 

Who Owns the Most XRP: Did Ripple vs. SEC Affect Ownership?

The SEC had initiated legal action against Ripple in December 2020. During that month, XRP’s price dropped by more than 65% from a high of $0.6645 at the start of the month to $0.2217 by the start of January 2021, showing investors might have started pulling out their funds. 

However, it was not always a downward spiral for the XRP token throughout the duration of the trial as the cryptocurrency had managed to regain its losses on several occasions following the massive dip. 

A lawsuit as big as this was bound to inject some uncertainty into the digital assets market, Mishunin explained, noting that a number of investors had decided to divest their holdings amid fears of potential unfavorable legal outcomes.

Following news that on July 13, 2023, Ripple Labs had managed to win the case against the SEC, the XRP token had managed to gain over 55% of losses, jumping up from $0.4637 on 7 July 2023 to $0.7391 11 days later.

As of July 2024, XRP price fluctuates around $0.4873. The cryptocurrency has a market capitalization of more than $27 billion, which makes XRP the 7th largest cryptocurrency in the world. 

Are Institutional Investors Still Top XRP Holders?

Following the positive outcome of the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit, XRP saw a massive inflow from institutional investors by the middle of 2023, data published by CoinShares showed. 

XRP products saw assets under management (AUM) surge by 127% from the beginning of 2023 until August of that same year. 

While some institutional investors started exercising caution when investing in the cryptocurrency following the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit, other firms continued jumping in on the token. 

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) approved XRP at the start of November 2023, allowing firms in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to incorporate the cryptocurrency into their virtual assets services. 

In a press release, Ripple announced:

“Since the DFSA opened up external applications, XRP is the first virtual asset to be approved by the regime. XRP joins BTC, ETH and LTC as the assets previously approved under the DFSA’s virtual assets regime. XRP now stands to benefit from legal and regulatory clarity in the DIFC, and will be available for use by institutions located in the DIFC to accelerate faster, more efficient global value exchange.”

Moreover, Ripple’s acquisition of Standard Custody & Trust Company is poised to significantly boost the institutional adoption of XRP. This strategic decision is likely to enhance XRP’s credibility and attractiveness among institutional investors.

🚀 Big News! #Ripple acquires Standard Custody & Trust, elevating our game in enterprise blockchain solutions! ✨ More licenses, more compliance, more innovation. Ready to revolutionize global finance with secure, cutting-edge tech. 🌐 #BlockchainRevolution #CryptoGrowth #XRP… pic.twitter.com/xFukUYIjae

— Collin Brown (@CollinBrownXRP) March 6, 2024

Similar to institutional investors, celebrity endorsements can also play a key role in who the biggest XRP holders are. 

“Celebrity endorsements can temporarily boost XRP’s visibility and attract new investors, potentially increasing demand and price. However, the long-term impact on ownership is contingent on ongoing market and regulatory developments rather than short-lived endorsements,” Mishunin said. 

XRP was previously endorsed by several celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, who donated $4 million worth of XRP to the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund in 2018. That same year, Ripple also partnered with Madonna to raise funds for orphans in Malawi. 

The Bottom Line

“Positive developments and regulatory clarity could encourage a more widespread and decentralized ownership structure,” Mishunin told Techopedia.

He added that the distribution of XRP ownership over time could evolve based on several factors, including changes in the market sentiment, further developments in Ripple’s business strategy, and shifts in the regulatory landscape. 

FAQs