Ripple CTO Shares Unexpected BTC ’50 Year’ Take: Details
On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), crypto analyst Soni revealed he received a “Notice of Investigation” from the CFA Institute for allegedly promoting BTC as a “risk-free” asset. The investigation underscores growing regulatory scrutiny over how crypto professionals communicate risk in public forums. In a detailed thread, Soni argued:
“BTC is not volatile. Fiat is volatile. We use fiat to price BTC. If you have a 4+ year time horizon, purchase BTC.”
Soni’s framing prompted responses from other crypto voices. David “JoelKatz” Schwartz, CTO of Ripple, :
“BTC is not the identical now as it was 50 years ago.”
While playful—given that the asset launched in 2009—JoelKatz’s remark carries a sarcastic edge, signaling that BTCs characteristics and market context have evolved over time.
His comment addressed Soni’s suggestion that owning one BTC carries no upside when measured in BTC units (“1 BTC = 1 BTC”), shifting the perspective from fiat-denominated returns to crypto-relative terms. Analyst Simon Obasi added:
“You can say exactly the identical for probably any other asset. This can’t be the foundation of your argument.”
Ripple Advances Institutional Payments Strategy
Ripple continues to advance its stablecoin and institutional payments initiatives. The company recently raised $500 million in a private funding round, valuing Ripple at roughly $40 billion, while . Ripple is focused on expanding enterprise products, stablecoin rails, and cross-border settlement infrastructure, signaling its commitment to building practical applications for XRP and RLUSD.
Part of this strategy includes backing the , which would allow non-bank entities access to Fed settlement infrastructure. This could streamline reserve redemption for RLUSD, reduce settlement friction, and ease adoption by financial institutions.
Ripple is also piloting RLUSD for fiat card settlement with Mastercard and Gemini, aiming to bridge crypto and traditional finance in real-world payment flows months later than launching in Africa.
In parallel with these product moves, large BTC holders (so‑called “whales”) are . Many are moving holdings from direct BTC to spot BTC ETFs, driven by tax‑advantage structures, increased legitimacy and evolving regulatory regimes. On‑chain trackers show dormant whale wallets transferring hundreds of millions in BTC into regulated vehicles.
This rotation could tighten direct on‑chain supply, potentially supporting price dynamics as institutional frameworks gain traction.
At the time of writing, BTC is trading around $106,000 as the bullish momentum is continuing to build
