Pierre Rochard Slams XRP’s Tokenization Pitch as Price Falls 6%
Bitcoin strategist Pierre Rochard has criticized the growing hype around tokenization, dismissing it as a weak investment thesis for XRP and Ethereum. His comments arrive as XRP price drops nearly 6% in the past 24 hours, sliding to $2.96.
Key Points:
- Rochard argues tokenization won’t create real demand for ETH or XRP.
- He points to DTCC’s dominance in securities clearing, calling blockchain tokenization “a non-starter.”
- XRP has plunged 6% in a day, underperforming most top altcoins.
Tokenization Narrative Under Fire
Rochard said XRP and ETH rely on the belief that securities will be tokenized on their blockchains, generating fees that benefit holders. He dismissed this as unrealistic, stressing that DTCC already clears trades efficiently with low costs.
“The idea that fees should be burned to boost ETH or XRP while operations still need funding is a complete non-starter,” he argued on X. He added that wallets may only appeal to users locked out of traditional finance, leaving costs to fall on the least wealthy.
Even if tokenization gains adoption, Rochard noted, it won’t raise demand for XRP or ETH directly. Instead, he believes open-source competition ensures fees remain compressed across blockchains.
XRP’s Price Hit Hard
Alongside his criticism, XRP tumbled 5.7% in 24 hours to a low of $2.96. The decline coincided with $460M in crypto liquidations, with long positions suffering the largest losses. Only Solana underperformed XRP among the top 10 coins.
Rochard, who previously labeled XRP a “retail token,” warned that utility alone cannot sustain long-term value. He questioned why investors would hold XRP, ETH, or SOL rather than just use their networks while storing value in Bitcoin or stablecoins. 
Ripple’s Tokenization Push
Rochard’s remarks contrast sharply with Ripple’s ongoing tokenization initiatives. Mercado Bitcoin plans to issue $200M in real-world assets on the XRP Ledger, while Ripple is working with Dubai’s Land Department and Ctrl Alt to tokenize real estate deeds.
Institutional momentum around tokenization is also building, with firms like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Nasdaq set to discuss its role in bridging traditional and decentralized finance.
Still, Rochard’s sharp dismissal underscores the widening rift between Bitcoin maximalists and altcoin supporters.
