Crypto Pundit Debunks $100,000 XRP ‘Dark Pool’ Theory

Source Newsbtc

In a video released on Thursday, crypto commentator Zach Rector dismantled a viral claim—popularized by influencer Jake Clover—that XRP tokens are secretly changing hands for $100,000 apiece inside clandestine “dark pools.” Rector’s rebuttal aims to calm newcomers spooked by the rumor and to re-center the discussion on verifiable market mechanics rather than conspiratorial price-suppression narratives.

XRP OTC Deals Aren’t Market Manipulation

Rector opens the broadcast by calling the thesis “a new round of misinformation and FUD,” stressing that “institutions are [not] going to get XRP at $100,000 on the private ledger. That’s not happening.” He explains that what social-media accounts now label “dark pools” are simply over-the-counter (OTC) desks—private bilateral venues that large holders have used for decades in equities, foreign exchange and, more recently, digital assets.

“It’s nothing new or specific to XRP,” he says, adding that Ripple Labs has been off-loading part of its treasury via OTC since 2019 without depressing the open-market price. Indeed, XRP has “pumped tremendously since November,” Rector notes, even as Ripple distributed fresh supply to institutional counterparties.

Much of Clover’s allegation hinges on the idea that a separate, private version of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) carries its own price—orders of magnitude above the public market’s. Rector calls that notion a fundamental misunderstanding of how Ripple’s enterprise tooling works.

Central-bank or government pilots often ask for “private ledgers where they can keep messaging and transactions hidden from the public view,” he acknowledges, but those environments are permissioned sidechains or wrapped derivatives. “XRP only exists on the public XRP Ledger that we all use […]. Your XRP can never leave the XRP Ledger,” he states. If testers wanted to model a six-figure price for stress-testing purposes, “that’s not the real XRP, never was, never would be.”

To underscore the point, Rector cites Ripple chief technology officer David Schwartz, who “has already addressed this” and clarified that “there are not two prices of XRP.” Rector also invokes examples from other enterprise-focused chains—XDC’s hybrid architecture and Constellation’s Department of Defense “Metagraph” deployment—to show that privacy partitions are standard practice, not evidence of hidden liquidity at surreal valuations.

OTC Buyers Get A Discount

While some retail traders fear that Wall Street would happily pay an astronomical premium behind closed doors, Rector argues the economics are inverted: “Why would an institution pay $10,000 per XRP on the private ledger […] when it’s available on the public market for $2?” OTC desks exist precisely so that whales can accumulate “without moving the market,” not to overpay.

In fact, history shows that Ripple has often granted institutional partners a discount, not a markup—something revealed in discovery during the SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit. Rector reminds viewers that Ripple’s data set includes “over 1,700 NDAs” and that R3 once negotiated an option to buy five billion XRP “for a sub-penny” over three years, ultimately settling for a single billion when the broader partnership soured. None of those figures approach the six-figure fantasy.

At press time, XRP traded at $2.21.

XRP price
Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
WTI slides back closer to mid-$58.00s; bearish potential seems intactWest Texas Intermediate (WTI) US Crude Oil prices struggles to capitalize on its modest intraday move up and drops to a fresh daily low, close to mid-$58.00s during the first half of the European session on Friday.
Author  FXStreet
Yesterday 09: 19
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) US Crude Oil prices struggles to capitalize on its modest intraday move up and drops to a fresh daily low, close to mid-$58.00s during the first half of the European session on Friday.
placeholder
Could XRP ETF Approval Be Near? Ripple To Meet SEC Chair Paul Atkins On May 2As positive shifts in cryptocurrency regulation unfold under President Donald Trump’s second administration, speculation is mounting regarding the potential approval of spot XRP ETF applications. 
Author  Bitcoinist
Yesterday 09: 18
As positive shifts in cryptocurrency regulation unfold under President Donald Trump’s second administration, speculation is mounting regarding the potential approval of spot XRP ETF applications. 
placeholder
Gold looks set for weekly loss as news of trade talks curb haven demandGold (XAU/USD) trades around $3,250 on Friday,  recovering slightly from two-week lows after three straight days of losses. The losing streak that took place this week was the sum of a whole package of headlines that all had one theme in common: easing on tariffs. 
Author  FXStreet
Yesterday 08: 59
Gold (XAU/USD) trades around $3,250 on Friday,  recovering slightly from two-week lows after three straight days of losses. The losing streak that took place this week was the sum of a whole package of headlines that all had one theme in common: easing on tariffs. 
placeholder
Ripple Price Prediction: XRP signals breakout as spot ETF prospects brightenRipple (XRP) price remains firmly supported at $2.20, while trading at $2.22 at the time of writing on Friday.
Author  FXStreet
Yesterday 08: 50
Ripple (XRP) price remains firmly supported at $2.20, while trading at $2.22 at the time of writing on Friday.
placeholder
Bitcoin HODLer Selling Expected Around This Level, Report SaysThe on-chain analytics firm Glassnode has revealed in a report how sell-side pressure may see an uptick from Bitcoin long-term holders around this price level.
Author  NewsBTC
Yesterday 08: 47
The on-chain analytics firm Glassnode has revealed in a report how sell-side pressure may see an uptick from Bitcoin long-term holders around this price level.
goTop
quote