Ripple CTO Backs XRPL Amid XRP Manipulation Claims

• Ripple CTO David Schwartz praised XRPL’s 13-year track record and battle-tested infrastructure as superior to newer blockchain networks.

• Grape’s validator identified suspicious XRP transactions exceeding 140,000 tokens between major exchanges and claims this could be wash trading manipulation.

• Despite ongoing price manipulation concerns, XRPL’s tokenized real-world assets grew from $5 million to over $118 million in six months.

Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has reinforced his confidence in the XRP Ledger’s infrastructure capabilities. His comments come as fresh allegations about potential XRP price manipulation surface within the cryptocurrency community.

Schwartz highlighted the XRPL’s 13-year operational history as a significant advantage over newer blockchain networks. The executive noted that many emerging payment platforms and stablecoin projects are launching their blockchains without XRPL’s proven track record.

The Ripple CTO emphasized that creating a blockchain represents only the initial challenge. Building sustainable ecosystems with established trust and adequate liquidity proves far more difficult. XRPL has addressed these concerns through continuous updates and real-world testing over a decade.

XRPL’s Competitive Advantages Drive Adoption

The network operates as a public, permissionless system, offering optional regulatory compliance features. This dual approach enables decentralized operations and adherence to regulatory requirements across different jurisdictions.

Schwartz pointed to several design benefits that set XRPL apart from competitors. The network maintains minimal transaction costs while allowing direct payments using XRP tokens. Users avoid additional gas token requirements, streamlining the payment process for international transactions.

The CTO previously announced plans to establish a high-performance XRPL server supporting UNL validators and network services. He clarified that this initiative represents his project rather than an official Ripple development.

Validator Raises Concerns Over Trading Patterns

Grape, an XRPL validator operator, claims to have identified suspicious large-volume transactions potentially affecting XRP pricing. The validator’s analysis suggests approximately 150-170 validators currently secure the XRPL mainnet.

Source:X

Grape tracked payments exceeding 10,000 XRP across the network using custom Python monitoring tools. The analysis revealed substantial transfers of over 140,000 XRP occurring at regular intervals. These transactions frequently move between major exchange addresses, including Bitget and Binance.

Grape characterized these patterns as potential wash trading activities. This practice involves moving large amounts between platforms to manipulate trading metrics and create artificial demand signals. While illegal in regulated markets, enforcement remains limited in cryptocurrency trading.

The validator suggests these activities could trigger automated trading algorithms and influence market prices through false demand indicators.

XRPL ecosystem expansion continues at an accelerated pace despite ongoing manipulation concerns. Recent data from Token Relations and Ripple shows remarkable growth in tokenized real-world assets on the network.

The value of RWAs on XRPL surged from $5 million in January to over $118 million by July. This represents a 2,260% increase within six months, demonstrating significant institutional and developer interest.