Ripple XRP $750M Buyback Scheme: Did Holders Benefit?
The Ripple XRP $750M buyback rewarded shareholders at a $50Bn valuation, while XRP dropped 40%, leaving token holders with no cash, shares, or equity claim and leaving many to wonder whether the buyback program has benefited XRP holders.
Its $2.45Bn in 2025 acquisitions and its $2.4Bn RLUSD stablecoin primarily operate in traditional currencies, requiring no reliance on XRP. Ripple releases up to 1 billion XRP monthly from escrow to generate revenue, expanding supply and requiring outside buyers like spot ETFs to absorb it.
This question comes as XRP is trading for $1.54, down a modest -0.2% over the past 24 hours following a +11% weekly surge. Daily trading volume for September 27 sits at just over $2.6Bn.
On March 11, 2026, Ripple, the company behind the digital asset XRP, launched a buyback program to purchase up to $750M in its own shares. This buyback valued the company at $50Bn, about 25% higher than the $40Bn valuation set in November 2025.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse made it clear in a video shared on September 24 that he does not identify solely as an XRP supporter.
"I'm not one of these people who's an XRP maximalist, I'm bullish on a bunch of cryptos, for a bunch of reasons"– Brad Garlinghouse, 2026 pic.twitter.com/kAadHWXb8H
He indicated that he would even consider offering customers a stablecoin if it better served their needs. Given this context, the question arises: what benefits, if any, did XRP holders derive from Ripple’s buyback?
Ripple carried out the buyback as a tender offer, inviting its employees and early investors to sell back their shares until April. The $50Bn valuation rose from the amount set in November, following a $500M fundraising that involved affiliates of Citadel Securities and Fortress Investment Group.
Ripple’s XRP is trading around $1.53, according to the latest CoinGecko data, down roughly -0.2% over the past 24 hours but still up a notable +11.2% over the last seven days. XRP currently carries a market capitalization of approximately $96.5 billion, ranking it fifth among cryptocurrencies.
The recent weekly rebound suggests bullish momentum has returned after a period of weakness, though the latest pullback indicates sellers remain active around $1.55. XRP’s immediate support sits around $1.50.
A break below that level could expose the token to further downside. Conversely, reclaiming $1.55 could strengthen the short-term bullish setup and open the way toward the $1.60-$1.70 region.
With XRP still nearly -58% below its $3.65 all-time high, the token retains substantial room to recover if broader crypto-market conditions remain supportive.
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Asanat Analysis — Why it matters
Ripple's $750M buyback at a $50B valuation represents a corporate capital allocation decision, but the mechanics reveal a structural asymmetry critical to understanding token economics. Buybacks traditionally benefit shareholders by concentrating ownership and earnings per share; XRP token holders receive neither equity claims nor cash distributions. This highlights the persistent ambiguity in crypto: whether tokens function as equity-like instruments or utility/speculative assets. Ripple's corporate actions treat XRP as the latter—a product used within the platform—rather than proof of ownership in the company.
The 40% concurrent XRP price decline signals market skepticism about the buyback's relevance to token value. Unlike equity buybacks that mechanically support share prices through reduced float, token buybacks lack direct equivalent mechanisms unless accompanied by explicit deflationary burns or reduced supply. If Ripple repurchased XRP for treasury holdings without burning, supply remains unchanged, diluting any benefit. This divergence between corporate financial engineering and decentralized token mechanics reflects a broader challenge: centralized entities using community tokens as treasury assets while holders lack governance or profit-sharing rights—a structure that increasingly draws regulatory scrutiny around securities classification.