Ripple Co-Founder Reveals What Could Help XRP Overtake Bitcoin

The debate over whether XRP can eventually overtake Bitcoin has resurfaced amid a broader market consolidation, after XRP community member Seer brought renewed attention to comments from Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen.

Notably, in a clip Seer shared on X (formerly Twitter) on September 13, Larsen made the remarks during an interview on the When Shift Happens podcast last year, discussing factors that can help cryptocurrencies maintain their position over time.

His comments on XRP’s longevity, consistency, and community strength have since been revisited as the possibility of an XRP-Bitcoin flip draws fresh discussion.

During the conversation, Larsen pointed to XRP’s ability to remain relevant for more than a decade as a notable characteristic. He noted that XRP launched before Ethereum and had remained among the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

For Larsen, a cryptocurrency’s staying power is closely tied to the consistency of its underlying project and the community supporting it.

“By the way, I’d point to Bitcoin, incredibly conservative community, incredibly conservative. I think that served them well,” Larsen said during the interview.

He also credited the XRP community for helping the asset maintain its position through different market cycles.

“The community and the XRP community are amazing. I mean, incredible,” he added.

Meanwhile, while Larsen’s comments did not explicitly predict that XRP would overtake Bitcoin, his discussion focused on the characteristics that can help a cryptocurrency stay relevant as the market becomes increasingly crowded.

He argued that creating a cryptocurrency is relatively easy, but maintaining value and trust over time is much harder. XRP’s continued presence, in his view, gives it an advantage that newer projects do not automatically possess.

The discussion comes shortly after former Ripple CTO David Schwartz directly addressed whether XRP could eventually surpass Bitcoin in market capitalization.

During an X Space last week, Schwartz was asked whether he believed XRP could flip Bitcoin, stating “Yeah, I do.”

Schwartz clarified that such an outcome would not necessarily require Bitcoin to lose value. Instead, he believes XRP could overtake Bitcoin by growing faster.

He also pointed to the XRP Ledger’s functionality and speed as factors that could help it capture a larger share of future crypto-market growth.

“The XRP Ledger gets more of that growth because of its higher functionality and/or higher speed,” he said, adding that users could seek capabilities that Bitcoin can’t support.

That said, while neither argument establishes that XRP will overtake Bitcoin, the top crypto asset remains the benchmark for comparing XRP’s market-cap position. Based on Bitcoin’s market capitalization at the time, XRP would have needed to reach approximately $24.50 to $25 to match Bitcoin’s valuation, assuming Bitcoin’s market cap remained unchanged.