Here’s Why Warren Buffett is Already Invested in Ripple (XRP)

Warren Buffett was at it again this week touting his disdain for the cryptocurrency market. Having famously warned of the markets impending “bad ending” some months ago, the investment guru is back in the headlines slamming none other than Bitcoin (BTC). Pulling his punches from the entire crypto-scene and focusing on Bitcoin (BTC) may just mask the fact that, indirectly at least, Warren Buffet is already invested in the tech behind the most famous of altcoins, Ripple (XPR).

While Mr. Buffett scoffs at the list of overvalued companies representing the majority of cryptocurrencies, his words against Bitcoin (BTC) this week speak volumes to his investment strategy. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Buffett remarked, “If you buy something like Bitcoin or some cryptocurrency, you don’t have anything that is producing anything, you’re just hoping the next guy pays more.” And while he openly admits he doesn’t really know much about the various budding blockchain technologies, he has mentioned in the past that he would buy five year puts on every one of the cryptocurrencies. However, when taking in the investment strategies of the Oracle of Omaha, a closer look reveals that this ‘buy and hold’ strategist has a number of positions that seem to contradict his opinions concerning the altcoin scene.

Warren Buffett is invested directly in a number of financial institutions. From Bank of America to Wells Fargo, these long-term holds make up a sizable portion of the latest traded stocks in his portfolio. And while Bank of America may have recently admitted that cryptocurrencies represent a threat to their business model (amazing considering these coins don’t produce anything /sarc) others on his list are experimenting with crypto-systems as a way of reinventing payments.

Examples of financial institutions using blockchain technology, and specifically Ripple (XRP), to facilitate cross-border transactions should not be news to anyone anymore. Ripple (XRP) is in use by over 100 of these institutions in an ever-growing list of users and partnerships. And as these experiments take hold, revolutionizing payment systems across the globe, the solid product that Ripple (XRP) represents seems to fly in the face of old Buffett’s stark warnings.

One such example lies with the Bank of New York, Mellon (BNY Mellon). In a recent report, this institution (of which Buffett is or has been directly invested in) expresses optimism in distributed ledger technology. Seeking to ‘reinvent payments,’ BNY Mellon sees potential in using blockchain technology to deliver a global payment experience within the decade. And the Bank of New York doesn’t stop there, indeed they call out Ripple (XRP) and their interledger protocol as a potential standard in the technology.

So as Warren Buffett narrows his attacks from the cryptocurrency market as-a-whole to Bitcoin (BTC) specifically, it may be that he is realizing that without needing to invest in any specific coin company, the market itself, and namely Ripple (XRP), may be boosting the shares of his direct stock picks in the banking industry.

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Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide, investment advice. Global Coin Report and/or its affiliates, employees, writers, and subcontractors are cryptocurrency investors and from time to time may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency and read our full disclaimer.

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