XRP Dips 3% as David Schwartz Critiques Logan Paul’s $16.5M Sale

In a surprising intersection of crypto and pop culture, XRP, the native token of the Ripple network, saw a 3.2% decline in the last 24 hours as of February 17, 2026, trading at $0.52 according to data from CoinGecko. This dip coincides with a public statement from Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz, who criticized YouTube star Logan Paul’s controversial $16.5 million Pokémon card sale. The statement has sparked discussions in the crypto community about fairness in tokenized asset markets.

Price Action Details

XRP’s current price of $0.52 reflects a 3.2% drop over the past 24 hours, a 5.1% decline over the last 7 days, and a 7.8% loss over the past 30 days, per CoinMarketCap. Key support lies at $0.50, with resistance at $0.55, levels that traders are closely monitoring for potential reversals. Trading volume spiked by 12% above the 7-day average, reaching $1.2 billion in the last 24 hours. This activity has trimmed XRP’s market cap to $28.4 billion, maintaining its position as the seventh-largest cryptocurrency.

Driving Factors

David Schwartz, a key figure behind the XRP Ledger (XRPL), called Logan Paul’s $16.5 million Pokémon card sale 'awful' for small investors who held fractional shares of the asset, as reported by U.Today. On-chain data shows a 9% uptick in XRP wallet activity, with over 4,500 new addresses created in the past week, suggesting heightened interest amid the controversy. Whale transactions above $100,000 also rose by 15%, totaling 320 in the last 48 hours, indicating potential profit-taking or repositioning. Schwartz’s comments tie into broader concerns about tokenized assets, amplifying negative sentiment around XRP.

Broader Market Context

XRP’s 3.2% decline underperforms compared to Bitcoin (BTC), which dropped 1.8% to $62,400, and Ethereum (ETH), down 2.1% to $2,450 over the same 24-hour period. Sector-wide, DeFi total value locked (TVL) remains stable at $85 billion, per data accessible through DeFi News, while NFT trading volume dipped 4% to $12 million daily. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index sits at 48, signaling a neutral market mood despite recent volatility. Analyst Sarah Tran from CryptoInsights noted, 'Schwartz’s critique could weigh on XRP sentiment short-term, as investors question Ripple’s broader narrative on fairness,' highlighting the intersection of community trust and price action, a topic often covered in Crypto News.