Ripple‘s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has responded to allegations about the activity level and authenticity of transactions on the XRP Ledger, after recent data highlighted that a small group of accounts were responsible for the overwhelming majority of network transactions in August 2026.
XRP Ledger activity questioned
A social media post by X user ScamDetective5 cited Bitquery statistics showing that 793 accounts contributed to 93% of all transactions recorded on the XRP Ledger last month. The post described these accounts as bots or spammers, arguing that less than 1% of the network’s activity consisted of genuine human payments. This critique concluded by calling the XRP Ledger a “ghost chain,” a term used to describe blockchains perceived as lacking in real, meaningful use.
Bitquery data also noted that, since its inception in 2013, the XRP Ledger has processed 5.06 billion transactions. For August 2026 alone, the platform reported 793 accounts driving 93.2% of its total transaction volume. Additionally, estimates suggested just 0.80% of that volume reflected actual human-scale payments, while almost half of all active accounts sent only one transaction before becoming inactive. The median account balance on the network was found to be 12 XRP.
Mini dictionary: Bitquery, a blockchain data analytics platform, provides real-time and historical insight into network transactions, token movements, and account activity.
| Metric | August 2026 (XRP Ledger) |
|---|---|
| Number of dominant accounts | 793 |
| Share of total transactions | 93.2% |
| Human-scale payments | 0.80% |
| Median account balance | 12 XRP |
Schwartz counters ‘ghost chain’ argument
David Schwartz challenged the significance of the data, particularly the value judgment attached to automated or low-value transactions. Responding directly to the online criticism, Schwartz argued that low-cost transaction capability on the XRP Ledger provides value and flexibility, allowing both practical and less essential uses.
Schwartz noted, “Yes, it’s very cheap. Yes, you can use it for useful things and useless things. If it were more expensive and fewer people did low-value things on it, would that somehow make it better?”
He highlighted that blockchain platforms supporting inexpensive, rapid transactions naturally attract a broad spectrum of activity, not all of which may be recognized as high-value or essential by observers. Schwartz suggested that raising transaction costs to filter out less significant uses might not automatically improve the quality of the network.
His response underscored the ongoing debate on whether the volume of automated, bot-driven, or low-value transactions should be interpreted as a weakness. He contended that such activity can also be viewed as a sign of a network’s accessibility and capacity to handle varied workloads at scale.
Fee structure and network usage
Bitquery’s analysis also reviewed the accumulated transaction fees on the XRP Ledger since its launch. According to this data, every fee collected totals approximately $7.6 million, with no specific individual or entity receiving these fees directly.
The conversation between ScamDetective5 and Schwartz has brought renewed attention to how the community assesses blockchain viability and relevance, with differing opinions on the role and significance of bot-driven or non-human activity.
Debate continues over the main criteria for evaluating blockchains: whether network usefulness is best measured by the number of human-initiated payments or by the system’s ability to process a wide range of inexpensive transactions.
