In 2026, the biggest reversal script in the crypto world is none other than XRP's move: its valuation skyrocketed to $40 billion, with giants like Citadel, Fortress, and others from Wall Street flocking to seek partnerships. The response was a direct slap in the face from XRP Chairman Monica Long with a simple "keep a low profile." This maneuver is considered extraordinary in the entire financial circle. After all, for most projects, being recognized by Wall Street and going public is the ultimate dream. But XRP, on the contrary, turned around and rejected the big investors who came knocking.

Where does this confidence come from? First, let's talk about XRP's foundation.

Honestly, IPOs are a "lifeline" for most projects. Some have spent too much early on, leading to cash flow issues; others want to go public to quickly raise funds and expand. But XRP has never lacked money. According to public information, it has already secured $500 million from private investors. Even more astonishing, this $500 million was not squandered but invested steadily into infrastructure, with a total investment reaching $4 billion. To put this in perspective, many crypto projects nowadays struggle to raise even $100 million, yet XRP treats fundraising as "pocket money" to build infrastructure. This level of confidence is not something ordinary projects can have.

Even more impressive is XRP's operational expertise. It cleverly solves the "public market liquidity" problem by promising buybacks to investors. Industry insiders understand that many projects go to great lengths to achieve liquidity, but XRP uses a sophisticated mechanism that allows investors to expect returns while the project maintains control. This "both...and..." balancing act demonstrates the project's strong capabilities and clear strategy.

Looking at the overall evolution of the crypto market, XRP's move reflects a new project development logic. No longer blindly chasing IPOs or raising as much as possible, but instead relying on its own ability to generate revenue, infrastructure completeness, and strategic clarity as the basis of its influence. Refusing to go public is not weakness but confidence—having enough capital, a complete ecosystem, and stable cash flow, so there's no need to "prove itself" through an IPO.

This also sends a signal to the entire crypto space: a project's value is no longer solely determined by fundraising amounts and valuation but by what it can build, operate, and how far it can go. XRP shows the market that sometimes saying "no" carries more weight than saying "yes."