Chris Larsen: Ripple Legacy, Net Worth & Portfolio
As a serial entrepreneur, Chris Larsen co-founded Ripple Labs, the blockchain firm pushing the boundary on fast, low-cost money transfers. Thanks to his groundbreaking work in fintech, Larsen helped form the crypto industry by offering businesses Ripple’s XRP for instant and low-price cross-border transactions. Larsen’s riches have gone up and down with Ripple and XRP’s fortunes, hitting $59 billion in 2018 and being predicted at $7–$9.2 billion in The article looks at Larsen’s impact on Ripple, his current net worth, and the crypto portfolio he holds, using recent market activity and public activity as sources.
Ripple’s Rise and Regulatory Battles
In 2012, Larsen founded Ripple Labs with Jed McCaleb and a group of others, continuing the decentralized payment concept started by Ryan Fugger. Ripple set out to take over SWIFT by allowing banks to use XRP, its native token, for instant, low-cost transactions. Unlike the anonymous and mysterious Bitcoin creator, Larsen is well-known, and he often speaks out about how blockchain can help more people gain financial access, as noted by Forbes. In 2013, Ripple Labs got funding from Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures, and its open-source XRP Ledger started to be used by banks such as Santander and American Express, according to Investopedia. According to Money.com, Ripple keeps 61 billion XRP out of a total of 100 billion, and 38.7 billion have been released so far.
XRP’s value reached $3.84 in January 2018, putting Larsen among the five wealthiest people on Earth, according to Forbes. But in December 2020, the SEC went after Ripple, Larsen, and CEO Garlinghouse, charging an unregistered $1.3 billion sale of XRP securities, according to Forbes. The $728.9 million of Ripple’s institutional sales, which were ruled to be illegal The SEC’s October 2024 appeal still raises uncertainty about what XRP can and cannot do, says The Blockchain. Still, XRP increased 390% since November 5, 2024, to $2.86 largely because of anticipation of a Trump administration that will be more welcoming to cryptocurrency, according to Forbes.
Ripple’s ability to withstand trouble is clear from its 100+ banking clients and products like xRapid that use XRP for immediate liquidity, according to Bitcoinist. He quit as Ripple’s CEO in 2016, but as executive chairman, he continues to influence the company’s strategy, according to Crunchbase. The campaign he launched in 2022 with Greenpeace to alter Bitcoin’s power-hungry model didn’t sit well with some, CoinDesk says. A Meeting between Larsen and the SEC’s new boss Paul Atkins, reported by @Xaif_Crypto on May 2, nurtured speculation that Ripple’s legal drama may end and allow for an XRP ETF, according to Coinspeaker.
Net Worth and Wealth Dynamics
Larsen’s wealth largely depends on how XRP changes in value and his stock in Ripple. Forbes said in December 2024 that Larsen was worth $9.2 billion, with a $6 billion increase since the election, mainly thanks to XRP’s 390% rise, per Forbes. InsideBitcoins puts his net worth at $7–$8 billion that year, thanks to his 17% holding in Ripple and 2.72 billion XRP in six wallets, which would be worth $7.18 billion, per The Daily Hodl. In 2018, when XRP was worth $3.84, Larsen’s net worth of $59 billion was greater than that of Mark Zuckerberg at the time, according to Town & Country. After the 2020 SEC legal action and XRP’s 80% drop, Larsen’s fortune dropped to $2.9 billion by 2023, as per CoinGape.
In 2025, Larsen realized $116 million in XRP sales, sending 40 million XRP tokens to exchanges such as Coinbase, according to The Crypto Basic. The transfer of 20 million XRP ($60.5 million) to a wallet of unknown identity in January 2025 made people think he was liquidating more, per The Blockchain. His ability to give $25 million in XRP to San Francisco State University An X post by @WhaleFUD said his holdings dropped by $112 million after a 2024 hack related to LastPass.
| Asset |
Holding |
Estimated Value (USD, 2025) |
| XRP Tokens |
2.72B XRP (6 wallets) |
$7.18B |
| Ripple Equity |
17% stake |
$500M–$1B (est.) |
| Other Investments |
Prosper, E-Loan residuals |
$50M–$100M (est.) |
| XRP Sales (2025) |
40M XRP sold |
$116M |
| Real Estate & Assets |
Properties, luxury cars |
$20M–$50M (est.) |
Crypto Portfolio and Strategic Bets
According to InsideBitcoins, XRP makes up most of Larsen’s portfolio, with 2.72 billion tokens split between six wallets, which was previously 5.19 billion in 2019. Even though he probably owns Bitcoin and Ethereum, CoinGape reports that XRP remains the biggest part of his portfolio. Larsen is involved in fintech startups Prosper Marketplace and E-Loan, both of which fit well with Ripple’s decentralized goals, according to MoneyInc. Larsen’s political donations worth $11.8 million, including to Kamala Harris’ 2024 bid, are meant to influence regulations in the crypto space, as reported by TheStreet. In a May 2025 X post on Twitter, @Steph_iscrypto, Larsen proposed that XRP would take over the $7.5 trillion FX market by using Ripple’s ILP for global payments.
Larsen thinks that if XRP becomes a bridge asset, his investments will succeed. Forbes noted that Ripple’s ties with Mitsubishi Financial and Bank of America prove this, Ripple’s @Ripple account said in a 2023 post that Larsen expects XRP to be used in CBDCs. Unlike investors looking for fast returns, Larsen only puts his money into digital assets with clear uses, per Coinspeaker. Even though he sold some XRP in 2025 for profits, Larsen still holds a big stake, according to The Crypto Basic. An agreed SEC settlement might bring out XRP’s $143 billion market cap, per Forbes, and add even more to his fortune.
Influence and Controversies
Larsen’s influence reaches from the world of finance to politics. Being at SWIFT’s Sibos and appearing in American Banker articles give him the status of a thought leader, according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia states that in 2015, Fast Company named Ripple as one of the most innovative firms. His giving $5 million to San Francisco’s surveillance camera project and donating millions to local candidates, as the SF Standard says, signifies his civic backing. X posts, for example, @Cointelegraph’s 2024 story about his $6 billion wealth surge, have attracted over 5,000 engagements, showing his influence.
The SEC lawsuit hurt XRP’s price and cost Larsen some of his fortune, per CoinGape. Opponents, such as @CesscaCanSing on X, view his sale of large amounts of XRP as a problem, but backers think it was a shrewd action. His initiative to change Bitcoin’s code got him flak from purists as CoinDesk reported. The Daily Hodl reported that the 2024 hack uncovered problems in security. Even though Larsen’s crypto regulation suggestions garnered controversy, his advocacy, outlined in a 2024 CNBC interview, keeps him at the center of the industry’s movement.
FAQs
Q1: What is Chris Larsen’s estimated net worth right now in 2025?
He is said to be worth $7–$9.2 billion thanks to his ownership of XRP and shares in Ripple.
Q2: How much XRP does Larsen have?
He has six wallets containing 2.72 billion XRP, which is worth a total of $7.18 billion.
Q3: What does Ripple bring to the cryptocurrency industry?
Ripple’s main use for XRP is to speed up and reduce the cost of international payments, with banks as partners.
Q4: What other digital currencies are owned by Larsen?
He could have invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum, but XRP is the main part of his portfolio.
Q5: Why is Larsen controversial?
The way he handled XRP, the lawsuit, and the code change have caused much discussion around him.
Final Thoughts
How Larsen led Ripple has given a new structure to how payments travel, since XRP is challenging standard financial services models. His $7–$9.2 billion fortune is on account of his large XRP holdings and smart leadership. In spite of contention with the SEC and volatile markets, Larsen keeps pushing for blockchain’s use and regulatory engagement. As Ripple confronts tough times, Larsen’s own stakes and guidance will have a big impact on the future of crypto, helping lead the way through innovation while managing criticism.
