Bitcoin and Ripple enthusiasts have been facing it off lately since the US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a “national digital asset stockpile”. The national digital asset stockpile is set to incorporate several cryptocurrencies besides BTC. This news was received differently by the crypto market leading to several debates.
However, the most heated of them all is the BTC vs XRP debate. Recently, the CEO of Ripple Brad Garlinghouse shared his thoughts about “maximalism.” The Ripple CEO advocated for inclusivity of different cryptocurrencies, especially XRP, in the digital asset reserve.
“If a govt digital asset reserve is created – I believe it should be representative of the industry, not just one token (whether it be BTC, XRP or anything else).” Garlinghouse shared on X on Jan. 28, 2025.
He further added; “Maximalism remains the enemy of crypto progress, and I’m very glad to see fewer and fewer folks ascribe to this outdated and misinformed thinking.” Garlinghouse’s statements have, however, received criticism.
BTC Analyst Disagrees With Inclusion of XRP In US Digital Reserve
Top Bitcoin analyst with 1.1Million followers on X, Willy Woo has disagreed with Brad Garlinghouse’s statements. The analyst questioned the role of XRP in global finance citing problems that may occur if the crypto is included in the US digital assets stockpile.
Willy Woo’s reply to Garlinghouse read; “Dear CEO of XRP, living in the US, tell me which countries would buy US-controlled XRP if the strategic reserve needed to be put to work.” He further highlighted BTC’s superiority to XRP citing that “BTC is a geopolitically neutral asset like Gold.”
Dear CEO of XRP, living in the US, tell me which countries would buy US-controlled XRP if the strategic reserve needed to be put to work.
BTC is a geopolitically neutral asset like Gold. You’re gaslighting people into thinking XRP is a strategic reserve asset.
— Willy Woo (@woonomic) January 29, 2025
Nonetheless, the BTC analyst did not stop there. He further accused the CEO of Ripple for gaslighting people with an aim of making them believe that XRP is a strategic reserve asset. However, earlier Garlinghouse had expressed that he owned XRP, BTC, and ETH as well as other cryptocurrencies.
How are BTC and XRP Performing Today?
Bitcoin is currently trading at $102,472 showing a small decline of 0.3%. The coin’s trading volume has also plummeted and is currently at $41.77 Billion indicating slowed trading activity. According to Coingecko, BTC’s market cap sits at $2.03 Trillion with 19.81 million coins in circulation.
XRP on the other hand, is mirroring the performance of Bitcoin. This coin is currently trading at $3.09 with a 1.2% dip in the data according to data on Coingecko. XRP’s trading volume has also dropped to 7.13 Billion and its market capitalization is at $178.2 Billion.
On the outlook the BTC and XRP 24-hour charts are almost similar. This shows how XRP, which is an altcoin, performs in correlation to Bitcoin. As the battle between Bitcoin and Ripple unfolds, the market remains steady awaiting further developments around the US digital asset reserve.