TLDR
- David Schwartz said Ripple Swell 2026 could become the largest event in its history.
- Schwartz pointed to XRP Ledger use cases across payments, tokenization, DeFi, AI, and interoperability.
- Ripple’s Flutterwave investment brings RLUSD, Ripple Payments, and XRPL into African payment corridors.
- XRP traded near $1.18 as traders watched key support and resistance zones closely.
- Market debate remains focused on whether enterprise XRPL adoption can create stronger XRP demand.
Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz said the next Ripple Swell could become the largest edition of the company’s annual event, placing renewed attention on XRP utility and activity across the XRP Ledger. In a post shared from his JoelKatz account, Schwartz said he would not miss the event and encouraged the XRP community to bring its strongest ideas. His comments placed payments, tokenization, interoperability, DeFi, AI, and future XRPL use cases at the center of the discussion.
The remarks arrived as Ripple prepares to host Swell 2026 in New York City, where more than 1,500 attendees are expected to gather. The event is set to bring together developers, financial institutions, fintech companies, and digital asset participants. Schwartz said the strongest part of Swell has been seeing how builders use XRP and the XRP Ledger in new commercial and technical settings.
His message comes during a period of debate around XRP’s long-term valuation and practical role within Ripple’s ecosystem. Some market participants have questioned whether XRP can reach higher price targets, especially as Ripple Prime reportedly favors RLUSD as collateral in many cases. The discussion has kept attention on the difference between XRP as a traded asset and XRPL as infrastructure for payments and tokenized finance.
Flutterwave Deal Adds Payments Focus
Ripple’s strategic investment in African fintech company Flutterwave has added a new institutional angle to the XRP discussion before Swell. The investment was announced as part of Flutterwave’s Series E funding round, which values the company at $3.2 billion. The partnership will include Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, Ripple Payments, and the XRP Ledger within Flutterwave’s cross-border payment network.
Flutterwave plans to use RLUSD as a settlement asset across selected payment channels and remittance corridors. The company also plans to use XRPL to support faster clearing while connecting its domestic payment network with Ripple Payments through a unified API. The arrangement is aimed at payment corridors where settlement delays, foreign exchange costs, and fragmented local systems remain common.
Flutterwave has processed more than $50 billion in payments across more than one billion transactions, according to the supplied company data. Its network includes bank transfers, mobile wallets, cards, and merchant payment services across African markets. The Ripple agreement gives XRP Ledger another enterprise use case, although settlement activity may also rely heavily on RLUSD rather than XRP itself.
XRP Price Holds Near Decision Zone
XRP traded near $1.18 after recent price weakness, with the token down over the latest 24-hour period while still higher across the seven-day window. The supplied market data placed XRP’s market capitalization near $73.22 billion and daily trading volume near $1.88 billion. The token remains among the largest crypto assets, supported by broad exchange access and a circulating supply of about 62.05 billion XRP.
Technical readings show XRP near a key support area after losing momentum from earlier moves above $1.20. Analysts tracking the daily chart have identified the $1.28 to $1.35 area as a zone bulls may need to reclaim to reduce downside pressure. Failure to recover that area could keep attention on support near $1.14, $1.10, and $1.05.
Longer-term chart watchdogs remain focused on whether XRP can hold above its broader breakout and retest region. A recovery above $1.50 would strengthen the case for another attempt toward higher resistance levels. For now, Schwartz’s comments and the Flutterwave agreement have kept the market focused on whether real-world XRPL activity can translate into stronger XRP demand.
Get 3 Free Stock Ebooks
Discover top-performing stocks in AI, Crypto, and Technology with expert analysis.
- Top 10 AI Stocks - Leading AI companies
- Top 10 Crypto Stocks - Blockchain leaders
- Top 10 Tech Stocks - Tech giants
