Greg Kidd, an early executive at Ripple and a long-time figure in the cryptocurrency space, has shared fresh insights into what truly drives XRP’s long-term relevance. Rather than focusing on short-term price fluctuations, Kidd argues that liquidity and supply dynamics are the most critical factors determining XRP’s role and sustainability within the global financial system.

According to Kidd, XRP’s value proposition lies in its ability to function efficiently within payment infrastructure, not in speculative price movements. He believes that without deep and reliable liquidity, XRP cannot fully perform its intended purpose, regardless of how high its market price may rise.

Early XRP Investment Reflects Long-Term Conviction

Kidd revealed in a past interview that he still holds a substantial XRP position, having acquired roughly 1% of the total XRP supply more than five years ago. This investment predates the wave of institutional adoption and modern crypto market infrastructure, underscoring his long-standing confidence in XRP as a financial utility rather than a speculative asset.

His early involvement gives him a rare, long-term perspective on how real value is created within blockchain ecosystems. Kidd views XRP as a tool designed to solve liquidity challenges in global finance, not simply as a vehicle for price appreciation.

XRP’s Role as a Bridge Asset in Ripple’s Ecosystem

Kidd emphasized that XRP’s primary function is to act as a bridge asset within Ripple’s payment network. While Ripple builds enterprise-grade systems for cross-border transfers, XRP enables seamless movement of value between different fiat currencies.

He noted that XRP’s effectiveness is independent of Ripple’s corporate performance. Instead, the token’s strength lies in its ability to provide fast, cost-efficient liquidity across markets, making it suitable for large-scale transactional use.

Liquidity Matters More Than Price

A key takeaway from Kidd’s commentary is that liquidity outweighs price when it comes to XRP’s utility. High liquidity allows participants to move in and out of positions quickly, with minimal slippage—an essential requirement for institutional and cross-border payment use cases.

Kidd explained that even if XRP’s price increases, a lack of deep and efficient markets would limit its usefulness. In contrast, strong liquidity enables XRP to function as a reliable transactional instrument within the global payments ecosystem.

Supply, Demand, and Long-Term Price Potential

While liquidity is central to XRP’s role, Kidd acknowledged that supply constraints and rising demand naturally influence price over time. As adoption grows and markets mature, increased demand relative to available supply could support long-term price appreciation.

However, he stressed that any meaningful upside would be driven by real usage and sustained participation rather than speculation. In his view, price growth should be a byproduct of utility, not the primary objective.

Ripple’s Vision for Blockchain-Based Banking

Beyond XRP, Kidd has shared a broader vision for Ripple’s role in transforming traditional finance. Speaking at the XRP Las Vegas conference in June 2025, he suggested that blockchain technology could modernize legacy banking systems and integrate traditional institutions into decentralized networks.

In his current role as CEO of Vast Bank, Kidd is working on issuing FDIC-insured U.S. dollar tokens on the XRP Ledger. These tokens operate under a fractional-reserve model and aim to deliver capital efficiency, interest generation, regulatory protection, and 24/7 cross-border payment capabilities. He also plans to expand this framework to other currencies, including the British pound and the euro.

Conclusion

Greg Kidd’s perspective reinforces the idea that XRP’s long-term success depends far more on liquidity, structured adoption, and real-world utility than on short-term price action. While price appreciation may follow as markets deepen, Kidd believes XRP’s true value lies in its ability to function as a reliable bridge asset within a modernized global financial system.

A major Ethereum whale has drawn global market attention after transferring approximately $124 million worth of ETH to Bitstamp, signaling a carefully planned shift in a long-held investment position. The transaction, involving 40,251 ETH, stands out as one of the most significant whale movements of 2025 and offers insight into how large investors manage exits under stable market conditions.

According to blockchain analytics firm AmberCN, the transfer forms part of a broader exit strategy that has been unfolding gradually rather than through sudden liquidation. The whale originally accumulated 101,000 ETH around five years ago at an average price of roughly $660 per token, during a period of steady network development rather than speculative market extremes.

Gradual Distribution Highlights Strategic Planning

Rather than triggering market panic, the whale has opted for a measured distribution approach. To date, a total of 75,200 ETH has been transferred to multiple cryptocurrency exchanges, leaving 26,000 ETH still held in a private wallet. At current prices, the remaining holdings are valued at approximately $80.16 million, indicating continued exposure to Ethereum despite substantial profit-taking.

Blockchain observers highlighted the precision of the latest move, which saw the full 40,251 ETH transferred within a single day. The decision to use Bitstamp as the destination exchange appears deliberate, reflecting the platform’s reputation for liquidity depth, operational stability, and regulatory compliance—key factors for executing large-scale transactions efficiently.

Investment Timing and Market Context

The whale’s accumulation period coincided with Ethereum’s broader evolution, including its shift toward proof-of-stake. During that time, ETH traded between $200 and $1,400, placing the whale’s $660 average entry well within a disciplined mid-range strategy. As a result, the transferred ETH represents an unrealized gain of nearly 4,600% compared to the original purchase price.

Market analysts note several key characteristics surrounding the transaction:

• The transfer occurred during relatively stable market conditions
• Bitstamp’s regulatory structure supports high-value transactions
• Prior transfers suggest controlled portfolio rebalancing
• The retained ETH position indicates long-term confidence in Ethereum

Historical blockchain data also shows that the whale maintained its holdings through multiple market cycles, including the 2021 bull run and subsequent corrections, reinforcing the view that this activity reflects strategic planning rather than reactive selling.

What Whale Behavior Reveals About Market Trends

Large whale transactions are closely monitored because they often provide early signals about broader market dynamics. Analysts note that whales typically avoid abrupt liquidation, instead prioritizing liquidity management and minimizing market impact. Exchange selection, transaction timing, and phased execution all point toward professional-grade portfolio management.

Unlike traditional financial markets—where institutional activity can remain opaque—blockchain transparency allows every transaction to be verified in real time. In this case, wallet history confirms consistent accumulation, strategic transfer timing, and deliberate exchange selection, all of which help analysts interpret intent more accurately.

Market Impact and Sentiment

Despite the size of the transfer, Ethereum’s price showed resilience following the movement, suggesting that traders viewed the transaction as strategic reallocation rather than bearish sentiment. While whale transfers of this magnitude can sometimes precede volatility, the broader market response remained measured, reflecting confidence in Ethereum’s ongoing fundamentals.

Secondary effects typically associated with such movements include heightened trader awareness, temporary shifts in exchange liquidity, and adjustments in derivatives positioning. However, no immediate disruption was observed following this transaction.

Regulatory Considerations Behind the Bitstamp Choice

Bitstamp’s long-standing regulatory credentials play an important role in its appeal to large investors. The exchange operates under multiple regulatory frameworks and enforces enhanced compliance measures for high-value transactions, including due diligence and source-of-funds verification.

As regulatory oversight tightened across the crypto sector in 2025, whales and institutional players increasingly favored exchanges with proven compliance standards. The decision to route funds through Bitstamp reflects this broader shift toward regulatory clarity and operational reliability within the crypto industry.

Conclusion

The Ethereum whale’s $124 million transfer to Bitstamp illustrates how sophisticated investors execute large exits without disrupting the market. Through gradual distribution, strategic exchange selection, and disciplined timing, the whale has secured substantial profits while maintaining meaningful exposure to Ethereum. As blockchain transparency continues to shape market analysis, such high-value movements remain critical indicators for understanding evolving crypto investment behavior.

Walrus Protocol has officially entered the spotlight with the launch of its mainnet, backed by a substantial $140 million funding round. The debut marks a significant milestone not only for the project itself, but also for the broader decentralized storage sector, which has been steadily gaining relevance as blockchain applications demand more scalable, verifiable data solutions.

Supported by Mysten Labs, the team behind the Sui blockchain, Walrus is positioning itself as a next-generation decentralized storage protocol designed to handle the growing needs of AI-driven applications, media platforms, and on-chain data-intensive use cases.

Walrus mainnet launch brings decentralized storage into focus
The Walrus mainnet went live on March 27, 2025, signaling the transition from development to full production readiness. Alongside the launch, the project confirmed that it has secured $140 million in funding earmarked for ecosystem growth, infrastructure development, and long-term sustainability.

This funding level places Walrus among the better-capitalized decentralized storage initiatives in the market. Historically, large funding rounds at mainnet launch tend to increase institutional confidence, particularly when paired with clear tokenomics and a defined roadmap. For Walrus, the capital injection is expected to support validator participation, developer incentives, and expansion of real-world use cases.

The protocol operates closely with the Sui ecosystem, leveraging its performance-oriented architecture. This relationship could prove strategically important as projects built on Sui look for native, scalable storage solutions that align with the chain’s low-latency design.

Why Walrus stands out in decentralized data storage
Unlike earlier decentralized storage platforms that primarily focused on file persistence, Walrus is designed around verifiable data availability. This distinction is increasingly important for applications involving artificial intelligence models, dynamic media content, and large datasets that must remain auditable over time.

Traditional decentralized storage solutions often struggle to meet the performance and verification requirements of modern AI workloads. Walrus addresses this gap by enabling developers to prove that data exists, remains intact, and is retrievable without relying on centralized intermediaries. This capability positions Walrus at the intersection of decentralized infrastructure and next-generation data computation.

Industry observers note that this approach could make Walrus particularly attractive for AI training pipelines, decentralized content networks, and blockchain-based analytics platforms that require both scalability and trust minimization.

Leadership and ecosystem strategy
As part of the mainnet rollout, the Walrus Foundation appointed Rebecca Simmonds as managing executive. While detailed public information about her prior industry roles remains limited, the appointment suggests a focus on operational scaling and ecosystem coordination as the protocol transitions into its post-launch phase.

Governance and ecosystem management are expected to play a key role in Walrus’ evolution. With significant funding secured, the challenge now shifts from building technology to fostering sustained usage, onboarding developers, and maintaining network security through decentralized participation.

Market response and token dynamics
Following the mainnet launch, Walrus’ native token, WAL, became available on select trading venues, drawing early market attention. Initial trading activity showed elevated volume, a common pattern during early price discovery phases. While short-term price movements remain volatile, analysts often view such activity as a reflection of curiosity and positioning rather than long-term valuation.

Historically, decentralized infrastructure tokens tend to see more durable demand when network usage grows alongside speculation. For Walrus, the key metric to watch will be adoption by developers and data-heavy applications rather than short-term market performance.

What this means for the broader crypto landscape
The Walrus mainnet launch reinforces a broader trend within crypto: infrastructure is becoming as important as financial primitives. As blockchains mature, demand is shifting toward reliable data storage, computation, and verification layers that support complex applications.

With $140 million in funding, backing from Mysten Labs, and a focus on AI-compatible data storage, Walrus enters the market with meaningful advantages. Whether it can translate those advantages into sustained network activity will determine its long-term impact.

For now, the launch signals that decentralized storage is moving beyond simple file hosting and into a phase where verifiable, high-performance data infrastructure could become a foundational layer for Web3 and AI-driven ecosystems alike.