- XRP surged above $1.50 after outperforming every major top 10 cryptocurrency this week
- Whale wallets now control nearly 68.5% of XRP’s circulating supply following aggressive accumulation
- South Korean exchanges Upbit and Bithumb saw XRP trading volume surpass Bitcoin and Ethereum combined
XRP has blasted past the $1.50 level after posting a sharp 6.7% jump in just 24 hours, while stretching its weekly gains to nearly 9%. The move caught a lot of traders off guard, honestly, especially since most major cryptocurrencies have been moving far slower during the same stretch. Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, and even Solana all posted gains, sure, but XRP simply left them behind.
The Ripple-linked token is now sitting among the strongest performers inside the top 100 cryptocurrencies, according to CoinGecko data. After months of frustrating sideways action and weak momentum, XRP suddenly looks alive again. Momentum flipped fast, and the market noticed almost instantly.
Whale Wallets Are Loading Up Aggressively
One of the biggest reasons behind the rally appears to be aggressive accumulation from large holders. Data from Santiment Intelligence shows that wallets holding at least 10 million XRP have been quietly increasing their positions at a pretty intense pace over recent weeks.
Those massive wallets now control roughly 45.83 billion XRP combined, which equals around 68.48% of the token’s total supply. That’s an enormous concentration, and apparently the highest level seen since May 2018. At the same time, wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP climbed to a record 332,230 addresses, another signal suggesting mid-sized and large investors are still accumulating despite previous uncertainty across the crypto market.
Coinbase Purchase May Have Sparked the Breakout
A major transaction on Coinbase may have acted as the final trigger that pushed XRP higher. Reports point to a purchase worth around $1 million in XRP, and interestingly enough, the breakout followed almost immediately after. Timing like that tends to get traders talking.
Buying pressure also intensified on South Korean exchanges, especially Upbit. XRP has always maintained a strong following among Korean retail traders, particularly during high-risk market phases where momentum coins start heating up. That trend seems to be returning again, maybe faster than many expected.
South Korean Traders Push Volume Higher
Trading activity across Upbit and Bithumb has become especially important in this rally. Recent flow data shows XRP trading volume on both exchanges actually surpassed the combined volume of Bitcoin and Ethereum, which is kind of wild when you think about it.
Historically, spikes in Korean exchange activity while XRP approaches major resistance levels often reflect growing retail risk appetite in the region. Traders there tend to move aggressively once momentum builds, and right now XRP appears to be benefiting heavily from that behavior. Whether this rally continues or cools off soon, one thing is clear — XRP has finally forced itself back into the center of the crypto conversation again.
