SBI CEO: 9% Ripple Equity Stake — Billions in Value, Not $10B in XRP
SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao clarified that the firm’s exposure to Ripple is primarily a roughly 9% equity stake in Ripple Labs, not direct holdings of XRP tokens. The correction follows social-media claims that SBI held $10 billion in XRP after its Singapore expansion. Private-market estimates valuing Ripple above $50 billion imply SBI’s stake could be worth several billion dollars on paper, but this represents equity exposure (company value, technology adoption, institutional partnerships) rather than spot token holdings that move with XRP price swings. SBI has supported Ripple since 2016, taken part in joint initiatives (including a partnership related to a $1B XRP treasury effort), and recently acquired a majority stake in Singapore exchange Coinhako as part of its Southeast Asia digital-asset strategy. Traders should note the distinction between equity and token exposure when assessing institutional influence on XRP markets: equity ties SBI’s upside to Ripple’s long-term enterprise growth and reduces direct balance-sheet sensitivity to short-term XRP volatility. XRP was trading near recent recovery levels at the time of reporting.
Neutral
The clarification that SBI’s exposure is equity rather than direct XRP holdings is overall neutral for XRP price action. Short-term: neutral-to-mildly bearish — correcting a $10B-XRP narrative removes a perceived large institutional buyer/seller that could have supported large price moves; some traders may react by reducing speculative positions. Long-term: mildly bullish-to-neutral — equity ties SBI’s incentives to Ripple’s enterprise growth and adoption, which can support XRP utility over time, but equity alignment does not translate directly into immediate buying pressure for XRP. The announcement reduces uncertainty about institutional token holdings, lowering the chance of sudden large token liquidations but also removing a bullish token-demand narrative. Market impact should be limited absent new on-chain flows or corporate actions converting equity into token exposure.