XRP whales reportedly accumulated 300 million tokens in 96 hours as XRP surged more than 25%, while rising open interest and XRPL institutional activity add further momentum to the rally.
XRP$1.51+1.51%XRP whales have stepped up accumulation as the token surged more than 25% in two days, with large holders reportedly adding 300 million XRP within just 96 hours.
XRP climbed from around $0.99 on Wednesday to as high as $1.245 on Thursday, joining the broader crypto market rally that pushed Bitcoin above $72,000. The sharp move has brought renewed attention to whale activity, derivatives positioning and growing institutional use of the XRP Ledger.
The latest rally follows months of what CryptoQuant has described as “quiet accumulation” among large XRP holders.
On-chain data shows that average XRP spot order sizes have remained in the platform's “big-whale” range throughout 2026, suggesting that large investors have continued to accumulate despite XRP's prolonged weakness.
That accumulation appears to have accelerated during the latest rally.
Crypto analyst Ali Martinez reported that XRP whales purchased approximately 300 million XRP over a 96-hour period.
The timing is notable because the buying occurred as XRP began breaking higher from the $1 area.
Whale accumulation is also visible in the growth of large XRP wallet cohorts.
Santiment data previously showed that wallets holding at least 1 million XRP increased by 32 over three months, adding to evidence that large holders have continued building positions despite the token's earlier price weakness.
Earlier data also showed wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million XRP increasing their collective holdings, while smaller wallets reduced their exposure.
The trend does not guarantee that XRP will continue rising, but it suggests that some large holders have been willing to accumulate during periods of weakness.
XRP's price action has changed sharply over the past two sessions.
The token climbed from approximately $1.08 to $1.24 on Thursday, following Wednesday's move from around $0.99. At the time of the latest data, XRP was trading near $1.23, representing gains of roughly 20% over 24 hours and 38% over seven days.
The move has also been accompanied by increased derivatives activity.
XRP open interest on Binance recently reached approximately $461.3 million, its highest level in two months, indicating a significant increase in outstanding derivatives positions.
Network activity has also recovered. Santiment previously reported that XRP recorded its highest activity level in more than two months after activity had fallen close to its 2026 lows.
This combination of rising price, derivatives participation and on-chain activity provides a stronger backdrop for the latest rally than price movement alone.
XRP's latest momentum also comes as institutional financial activity around the XRP Ledger (XRPL) continues to develop.
Cicada Partners is bringing institutional credit expertise and a borrower pipeline to the XRPL through infrastructure from Clearpool, including its XRPL Lending Protocol and Single Asset Vault.
Ripple is participating as a liquidity provider in the credit fund alongside institutional co-investors.
The development adds another potential use case for the XRP Ledger, particularly as institutional investors increasingly explore blockchain-based credit and financial infrastructure.
The latest whale accumulation provides an important bullish signal, but investors should be cautious about assuming that large purchases automatically guarantee further gains.
XRP has moved more than 25% in a very short period, meaning profit-taking could emerge if momentum begins to weaken. Rising open interest can also amplify volatility when leveraged positions build rapidly.
Still, the combination of 300 million XRP reportedly accumulated by whales, growing millionaire-wallet numbers, rising derivatives activity and expanding institutional infrastructure on XRPL has significantly strengthened the narrative surrounding XRP.
If the buying pressure continues, XRP could attempt to establish the $1.20 area as support and build toward its next resistance levels.
For now, the key question is whether whale accumulation continues after the initial breakout or whether large holders begin taking profits following XRP's sharp two-day advance.
Blockchain.com is reportedly targeting a $500 million U.S. IPO at a valuation of $4 billion to $6 billion, well below its $14 billion peak in 2022.
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NEAR Protocol fell 11.6% despite new Ondo tokenized stocks, confidential Hyperliquid perps and a coming NEAR ETF as broader market pressure returned.
NEARXRP WHALES GO CRAZY! More than 300 million $XRP have been scooped up by whales in just 96 hours.
$XRP READY FOR A BULL RALLY 1/5 🧵👇
