Ripple honorary chief technology officer David Schwartz said his personal XRP holdings have fallen to about 2 million from roughly 26 million at their peak, and he also disclosed that he accumulated substantial Ripple stock during the company's early years. Responding on X to a question about whether he had received a generous retirement package after recently discussing his XRP balance, Schwartz said, "I accumulated a lot of Ripple stock in the early days." The comment adds a new element to his financial exposure beyond cryptocurrency, though he did not disclose the size of the stock position, the price paid, its current value, or whether it was tied to retirement compensation. Earlier, Schwartz had said his XRP holdings declined from about 26 million at their peak to around 2 million now, while still indicating he retains a sizable position. The remarks come after Schwartz stepped down from day-to-day duties late last year and became CTO emeritus, later joining Ripple's board of directors and serving as a strategic advisor for XRP treasury company Evernorth. They also arrive as Ripple's valuation has risen, with the company raising $500 million in a strategic investment last November at a $40 billion valuation and later reaching $50 billion following a $750 million share buyback program. In a separate financing move, Ripple's prime-brokerage arm raised $275 million in the private placement bond market through senior unsecured notes due 2031 carrying an 8.25% coupon, while KBRA assigned the notes a BBB rating, according to Bloomberg and a company statement.