XRP Whale Activity Is Picking Up — The Next Price Move Could Be Significant

Add TechGaged as your preferred source on Google

See more TechGaged stories across Google News and Discover.

Still getting over that sudden 67% XRP breakout? The ledger’s millionaire wallets moved first. On-chain data shows large holders positioned days before the rest of the market caught on.

What the Chart Shows

Santiment’s XRP holders chart tracks wallets by size in real time. It shows 85 new wallets holding at least 1 million XRP appeared just two days before XRP’s 67% breakout between August 17 and August 21.

XRP Whale Activity Is Picking Up — The Next Price Move Could Be Significant — *Image Via Santiment.*

The total number of millionaire wallets climbed from roughly 2,032 to about 2,117 over that stretch.

A Pattern That’s Shown Up Before

This isn’t the first time wallet growth has led price. XRP posted its fourth-biggest network spike of 2026 back in May, with more than 4,300 new wallets created in a single day even while price stayed flat.

Rising wallet creation doesn’t guarantee a rally on its own, but it has repeatedly preceded stronger demand becoming visible in price.

The Institutional Backdrop Keeps Building

Ripple backed an RLUSD credit fund for fintech and payments lending on the XRP Ledger this month.

That follows August investments in ZILO and Licuido, two firms adding tokenization, transfer-agency, and collateral-mobility infrastructure to Ripple’s stack.

Neither investment creates direct demand for XRP itself, since fund trades settle in RLUSD.

But the buildout signals Ripple is positioning XRPL as institutional plumbing, not just a trading venue.

Price Sits Well Below the Rally High

XRP traded at $1.28 as of 13:39 UTC on September 16, 2026, down 10.9% over seven days, per CoinGecko.

The chart shows a sharp spike above $1.47 on September 15, followed by a fast drop below $1.30 into September 16. That drop came right after the CLARITY Act’s Senate cloture vote failed.

Goldman Sachs added to its XRP exposure earlier this year even as retail hesitated, a pattern that fits the current setup of institutional positioning moving ahead of visible price confirmation.

The Rest-of-Year Outlook Stays Constructive

Whale wallet numbers remain elevated. RLUSD gives XRPL stronger settlement utility.

Institutional tokenization keeps giving XRP a cleaner long-term story than simple retail hype, even as the current pullback tests short-term sentiment.

Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. The views expressed are based on publicly available data, market observations, and the author’s interpretation at the time of writing. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and unpredictable, and past performance or current technical setups do not guarantee future results. Readers should conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. TechGaged does not accept liability for any losses incurred based on the information presented.

How do you rate this article?