Young Hoon Kim — the social media figure who claims the “IQ 276” record — just provided the XRP community with some exciting news. “From now on, I’m buying XRP,” Kim posted on X this past Friday, marking his first direct endorsement of XRP after a series of posts focused on Bitcoin.
I buy #XRP from now on.
— YoungHoon Kim, IQ 276 (@yhbryankimiq) December 12, 2025
What’s Behind the XRP Endorsement?
This comment has substance. Solana’s official account announced, “BREAKING: XRP is making its way to Solana,” indicating a wrapped-asset system that allows XRP to trade and transact within Solana’s DeFi platform.
Hex Trust, which aims to act as the issuer/custodian for the wrapped token (wXRP), reports that it is fully backed 1:1 and redeemable for native XRP, utilizing LayerZero’s OFT standard and initially launching on Solana (with plans for more chains).
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Thus, Kim’s timing, whether deliberate or coincidental, aligns perfectly with a new avenue for distribution: “XRP, now DeFi-ready.” For XRP holders who have observed Solana absorb memecoin liquidity and on-chain trading over the past year, this is a story worth sharing in group chats.
Interestingly, Kim has recently adopted a strong pro-Bitcoin stance. Within the last week, he has shared numerous Bitcoin-related posts on X. On December 7, he stated, “In my opinion, Bitcoin’s price is currently a temporary discount due to what appears to be market manipulation. I believe this manipulation could vanish within a week, leading to an acceleration toward a new all-time high.”
Just days later, on December 10, he remarked, “My analysis indicates Bitcoin may have hit its bottom a few weeks ago, and we could be entering a genuine supercycle.” The following day, he further suggested, “It seems plausible that Bitcoin could reach $300K by early 2026.”
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Yesterday, Kim declared, “Bitcoin appears ready to surpass all past predictions. The true bull run starts when people believe it’s already over,” and today, he added: “I believe Bitcoin is divine money” and “In my opinion, stacking Bitcoin is one of the quickest paths to wealth.”
So, what prompted this unexpected pivot to XRP? No public explanation has emerged yet.
Moreover, Kim’s reputation is somewhat controversial. Korean media has referred to him as an “IQ 276” holder linked to mind-sports organizations, but his overall profile has sparked scrutiny and debate online, raising questions about the verifiability of his claims surrounding the “world’s highest IQ.”
Nevertheless, the crypto space often moves quickly. A bold statement, a significant cryptocurrency, an engaging comment section — and now an XRP-to-Solana headline to tie it all together. That’s more than enough for a narrative to develop in a single day.
As of this writing, XRP was trading at $2.04.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
