Watch out Warren Buffett. Ripple is coming for you, says analyst
Ripple wants to be crypto’s biggest investment company.
That’s the view of Eliézer Ndinga, global head of research and venture partner for 21Shares, who said Ripple is building a diversified empire that will eventually give Warren Buffett a run for his money.
“Ripple is positioning itself as the next Berkshire Hathaway,” Ndinga told DL News.
“They have a treasury war chest to buy companies, and they’re a stablecoin issuer to compete against Circle.”
If that’s the eventual strategy, it would be a dramatic evolution from Ripple’s origins as a cross-border payments protocol.
The company has been on a billion-dollar shopping spree to assemble a portfolio of crypto businesses while deliberately distancing itself from XRP, the token it created.
$40 billion
To be sure, it will take some time to reach Berkshire Hathaway’s size.
Buffett’s company is a $1 trillion holding firm that owns dozens of businesses from insurance to candy. It’s the 11th largest company in the world.
Ripple’s latest valuation was $40 billion in 2025, with significant cash reserves to fund an acquisition strategy that spans payments, custody, and stablecoins.
In November, the firm raised $500 million from Citadel Securities, Fortress, Pantera Capital, and Galaxy Digital.
The raise tripled its valuation.
In short, if the XRP-linked firm were to have a chance to overtake Berkshire Hathaway, it would need to grow by 2,500%.
Meanwhile, the company’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, said its shopping spree will slow in 2026.
So far, that shopping list includes Metaco, a Swiss custody platform bought up for $250 million, Hidden Road, a multi-asset prime brokerage now rebranded as Ripple Prime, purchased for $1.25 billion; Rail, a stablecoin payments infrastructure firm picked up for $200 million; and GTreasury, a developer of corporate treasury management software, that was bought out for $1 billion.
It even launched its own stablecoin, RLUSD, in 2024. It now has a market value of just over $1.4 billion, making it the 10th-largest stablecoin in the world, according to DefiLlama.
XRP confusion
The company’s corporate ambitions create tension with XRP, especially with its retail investor base.
For Ndinga, Ripple wants to be valued like a diversified financial services firm, not a single-asset bet.
“Ripple wants to separate itself from XRP as it prepares for public markets,” he told DL News.
“They don’t want to create confusion among investors.”
Ripple didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Pedro Solimano is a markets correspondent based in Buenos Aires. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected].
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