Mike Novogratz Flips on XRP, Acknowledges Power of Community

Billionaire investor Mike Novogratz recently highlighted the major factor that has kept XRP relevant over the years. Despite his initial skepticism

Billionaire investor and Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz has highlighted the importance of community in sustaining the value of crypto assets, using XRP as an example.

In a recent episode of the Galaxy Brains podcast, Novogratz discussed the factors influencing the performance of cryptocurrencies, particularly in relation to Bitcoin. Host Alex Thorn highlighted the declining performance of Ethereum against BTC, specifically mentioning a 75% decline since the Merge and a 50% drop following the announcement of Ethereum ETFs in mid-2024. He went on to ask Novogratz when he anticipated the ETH-to-BTC ratio to begin reversing.

Emphasizing Bitcoin’s simple and powerful narrative as digital gold, Novogratz explained that the value of BTC lies in the collective belief in its significance, rather than solely its technology. He highlighted the strength of Bitcoin’s narrative, stating, “The idea of people believing, that's what gives it its value.”

However, Novogratz contrasted this with Ethereum's more complex proposition as a global decentralized trust layer, which has faced challenges due to increasing competition and an oversupply of altcoins in the market.

“One of the reasons I think the prices of all these alts are going down is, there are too many of them,” Novogratz said, adding, “There is an infinite amount of token supply coming up […] and there is not enough time for those narratives to build community.”

He then pointed to older crypto assets like XRP and Cardano (ADA), highlighting that these assets began circulating at a time when the crypto ecosystem did not witness such an oversupply of multiple altcoins, which allowed them to actually build community. This community, according to Novogratz, has sustained their relevance.

Notably, Novogratz had previously expressed skepticism towards XRP's lasting power, primarily due to Ripple owning a significant portion of the token's supply. However, in December 2023, he admitted that he was wrong.

He conceded that he underestimated the XRP Army, the community of XRP proponents, and acknowledged that XRP has remained relevant because of its passionate user base, which has actively defended and promoted the token over the years. He compared the XRP Army to Bitcoin’s community, both of which play a major role in maintaining their respective assets’ valuations.

In February 2025, Novogratz reiterated this perspective, noting that community engagement has become an essential aspect of cryptocurrency valuations. He also expressed surprise at XRP's November 2024 price surge, particularly following Donald Trump’s election victory. He admitted that he never expected XRP to become one of the best-performing tokens in late 2024 but acknowledged that the strength of its community played a decisive role in its success.