XRP Whales Accumulate at $1 as ETF Assets Fall Below $1 Billion

XRP whales are stepping up their accumulation near the crucial $1 price level, helping offset weakening institutional demand as spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) see their net assets fall below $1 billion.

According to on-chain analytics platform Santiment, large XRP holders accumulated another 72 million tokens over the past 24 hours. The latest purchases extend a broader accumulation trend, with whales adding more than 452 million XRP over the past several weeks.

Combined holdings among these major investors have now climbed to approximately 12.18 billion XRP. Meanwhile, the number of wallets holding more than 1 million XRP has increased by 32 in recent months, indicating continued confidence among large holders despite market weakness.

Institutional activity, however, paints a different picture. Data from SoSoValue shows that spot XRP ETF inflows have slowed considerably. During the first half of August, the funds recorded only $3.27 million in inflows, while trading sessions on Aug. 10, 11 and 12 registered zero net flows.

The slowdown pushed total XRP ETF assets under management to approximately $942.25 million, taking them below the psychologically important $1 billion mark.

Whale accumulation appears to be providing crucial support for the XRP price as ETF demand fades. The $1 level is particularly significant because XRP's weekly chart shows a major support zone around this price that has remained intact since late 2024. Strong buying pressure in this area has so far helped prevent a deeper decline toward $0.90.

XRP Ledger activity has also strengthened. The average daily number of active addresses increased from roughly 26,400 to 35,700. However, new user growth remains relatively unchanged at around 2,260 addresses per day.

The divergence suggests that existing XRP holders are becoming more active rather than a large wave of new investors entering the ecosystem.

With XRP ETF inflows stagnating, whale buying has emerged as an important source of market liquidity. As long as major holders continue accumulating around $1, this support zone could remain critical in determining whether XRP stabilizes or faces another move lower.