The latest data for 2025 indicates that there are 5,214 wallets containing 460,829 XRP or more, making them eligible to be classified as millionaires at the current market price of $2.17 per XRP. However, these figures do not necessarily reflect the actual number of wealthy individuals due to the role of centralized exchanges in distorting the statistics.
Role of Centralized Exchanges
- Many large wallets are managed by platforms like Binance and Uphold, which aggregate the assets of thousands of users under one title.
- Descriptive tags (like hotel room numbers) are used to identify individual ownership within these shared wallets.
True Ownership through Self-Custody Wallets
- Self-custody wallets (not subject to a centralized exchange) demonstrate complete control of the owner over their assets, without the need for descriptive tags.
- It is advised to use these wallets to avoid the risks of platform hacks or bankruptcies, as occurred with FTX or Mt. Gox.
Warnings and Recommendations
- The visible number of millionaires (5,214) is exaggerated due to the aggregation of assets in exchange wallets. The actual number of individuals is much lower.
- The transition of investors to self-custody wallets is a crucial step to enhance decentralization and transparency in the XRP network.
In Conclusion
While data shows growth in holdings of large investors (whales), the distinction between collective wallets and individual ownership remains key to understanding the true distribution of wealth in the XRP system.