thenewscrypto.com
- SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao clarifies that the company does not hold $10 billion in $XRP
- The company’s value comes from its 9% stake in Ripple Labs, which represents a “hidden asset.”
- Brad Garlinghouse says that Ripple has the potential to become a trillion-dollar company focused on $XRP.
Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of SBI Holdings, put an end to the discussion and clarified that the company does not hold $10 billion in $XRP tokens, but it owns a massive equity stake in Ripple Labs itself.
As the debate started on February 15 from the user named @strivex_, who mentioned, “SBI, a major partner of Ripple and holder of $10 billion in #$XRP.” In response, the CEO of SBI Holdings explained that Ripple owns about 9% of Ripple Labs rather than directly holding $10 billion in $XRP.
When it comes to Ripple Lab.'s total valuation which obviously include its ecosystem that Ripple has created,
— 北尾吉孝 (@yoshitaka_kitao) February 15, 2026
that would be enormous. SBI owns more
than 9 % of that much.
Since equity in Ripple Labs provides the company with strategic impact and value growth without having to risk price volatility from holding crypto $XRP, as he mentioned, “So our hidden asset could be much bigger.”
Then, in a follow-up tweet, Kitao mentioned, “when it comes to Ripple Labs’ total valuation, which obviously includes its ecosystem that Ripple has created, that would be enormous. SBI owns more than 9 % of that much,” when calculated, 9% stake in Ripple Labs would be worth around $3.6 billion.
Also, Kitao confirmed that SBI Holdings had acquired a majority stake in Coinhako, a regulated cryptocurrency exchange, on February 13, which is part of its strategy to strengthen its position in the Asian crypto market, which may support Ripple’s ecosystem by providing a platform for $XRP trading and adoption.
Ripple’s Long-Term Vision
Previously, on February 12, during the $XRP Community Day on X, Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple labs said, There WILL be a Trillion Dollar Crypto company and I don’t have any doubt that Ripple has that opportunity. But the target goes beyond corporate growth. He stated, “Ripple’s reason for existence is driving success around $XRP and the $XRP ecosystem.”
As Ripple continues to focus on $XRP, where the present market conditions are showing a persistent downtrend, as of writing, $XRP is down over 6% in the last 24 hours and is trading at $1.48, with a monthly down of about 28%, amid wider crypto market weakness.
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