XRP Ledger’s Secret Co-Founder Still Holds 2% of All XRP

XRP Ledger has a fascinating history filled with innovation and mystery, and at the center of that mystery is one of its least-known co-founders: Arthur Britto. Despite shaping the blockchain’s early foundation, Britto remains largely invisible to the public, sparking intrigue and speculation throughout the crypto community.

In a recent set of tweets from prominent analyst “All Things XRP,” Arthur Britto was spotlighted as one of the most important yet enigmatic pioneers in the cryptocurrency space. While names like David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Chris Larsen are commonly associated with Ripple’s emergence, Britto’s influence is equally significant despite his efforts to remain off the radar.

Back in 2012, Arthur Britto was among the original team that co-founded Ripple Labs. His primary contribution was helping architect the XRP Ledger—designed as a more scalable, cost-efficient alternative to Bitcoin. The goal was to resolve Bitcoin’s early scalability and speed issues, while also minimizing energy consumption. This foundational work established XRP as a top-tier digital asset and a practical solution for enterprise-level financial operations.

Britto’s early vision was to create a decentralized system optimized for quick and low-cost global transactions. This goal eventually positioned XRP as one of the most adopted cryptocurrencies among financial institutions looking to modernize their cross-border payment infrastructure.

Despite these industry-shaping contributions, Britto has opted for extreme privacy. His media presence is virtually nonexistent, and he rarely communicates publicly. This level of anonymity has led to parallels being drawn between him and the elusive Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Some members of the XRP community have even speculated that Britto could be Satoshi, although there is no credible evidence to validate those claims. The theory partially stems from the coincidental timing of Satoshi’s last public message, which roughly aligns with the XRP Ledger’s debut.

Britto’s absence from the public eye continued for over a decade—until a sudden social media post last month. As reported here, Britto reemerged after 14 years with a cryptic emoji post on X (formerly Twitter). Although the post was minimal in content, it was verified by Ripple’s current CTO, David Schwartz, who confirmed that it genuinely came from Britto. This solitary emoji stirred significant speculation about what Britto’s reappearance might signal for the XRP ecosystem.

Some in the community interpreted the post as a subtle message hinting at larger developments behind the scenes within Ripple or the broader XRP community. It’s this intrigue that continues to keep Britto’s name in discussion despite his ongoing silence.

Adding to the mystery, Britto reportedly holds 2% of all existing XRP tokens, a stake he has maintained since the project’s inception as part of a 2012 agreement. This sizable holding further underscores his foundational influence—both technical and financial—in Ripple’s creation and growth as a blockchain pioneer.

The community often attributes ambitious forecasts to Britto, such as the legendary but unverified claim that he predicted XRP reaching $10,000 per token. While there is no confirmed source for this prediction, it remains a talking point among XRP supporters and adds to Britto’s mystique.

Even though he remains aloof in the public sphere, Arthur Britto hasn’t entirely stepped away from blockchain development. He co-founded PolySign, a company focused on high-end digital asset custody for institutional clients. One of its key subsidiaries, Standard Custody & Trust Company, has since been absorbed into Ripple and rebranded as Ripple Custody. This acquisition ties Britto’s work back into Ripple’s current operations, suggesting he may still be indirectly influencing the strategic trajectory of XRP and its supporting infrastructure.

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Ultimately, many within the XRP community believe that while Arthur Britto may never take center stage, his quiet contributions continue to shape and support Ripple’s long-term vision. Whether or not that belief holds true, his story remains one of crypto’s most compelling and least understood narratives.