TLDR
- XRP surged 10% from below $1 to $1.10 within 24 hours, hitting an intraday high of $1.10 from a low of $0.9956.
- XRP futures volume hit $2.92 billion, nearly six times tracked spot volume, with $9.13 million in liquidations.
- Whale transactions jumped 280% on August 18, with over 38 transactions above $1 million recorded.
- U.S. XRP ETFs hold nearly 1 billion tokens (994.72 million), with Bitwise leading at $18.55 million in volume.
- A U.S. Treasury buyback announcement pushed yields lower and lifted the broader crypto market more than 5%.
XRP climbed nearly 10% on Wednesday, moving from a 24-hour low of $0.9956 to an intraday high of $1.10. The token had spent most of August hovering near $1, making this rebound one of the stronger single-day moves in recent weeks.
XRP also gained 3.1% against Bitcoin, meaning it was not just riding a broader market wave. It was outperforming the wider crypto market on its own terms.
Whale Activity and Network Usage Rose First
Before the price moved, on-chain data was already showing signs of buildup. On August 18, whale transactions surged approximately 280%, with more than 38 transactions worth at least $1 million recorded in a single 24-hour period.
XRP Ledger activity had also been rising. Santiment recorded 49,929 active XRP addresses on August 13, the highest in over two months. Average daily active addresses grew from around 26,400 in July to roughly 35,700 in August.
$XRP just closed at its lowest since November 2024, and the on-chain read is more interesting than the price.
📉 Price closed at ~$1.00 on Aug 12, the lowest daily close since Nov 2024 and roughly 69% below the January 2025 peak near $3.30.
📊 Activity picked up anyway. Active… pic.twitter.com/3JcxJjWNFd
— Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) August 13, 2026
Analyst Diana, posting on X, noted that XRP broke through the key $1.081 resistance level and reached around $1.12. She flagged the 4H RSI at approximately 87.6, an overbought reading, and identified the next resistance near $1.145, with $1.20 as a potential target on a clean break above that level.
🚨 $XRP EXPLODES 12% After Ripple CEO’s Trump Meeting — SMASHES Through $1.08 Resistance as RSI Hits EXTREME Overbought Levels 🤯🔥
After weeks of fighting around $1.00, $XRP suddenly ripped nearly 12%, blasting straight through the major $1.081 resistance and reaching roughly… https://t.co/MqynN5V4vY pic.twitter.com/sKZyQWdkxG
— Diana (@InvestWithD) August 19, 2026
Derivatives markets moved sharply too. XRP futures volume reached $2.92 billion, compared with roughly $505.8 million in spot volume. Open interest stood at $2.81 billion, and $9.13 million in positions were liquidated in 24 hours.
Ripple’s Institutional News Added Context
On August 18, Ripple Prime raised $275 million through a private placement of senior unsecured notes, rated BBB by KBRA. The same day, Ripple announced a partnership with Jeonbuk Bank, making it South Korea’s first regional bank to use Ripple Payments for cross-border remittances.
U.S. XRP investment products also held 994.72 million XRP ahead of the rally, just under 1 billion tokens. Bitwise led with $18.55 million in volume, followed by Franklin Templeton at $4.80 million.
The SEC also formally proposed Regulation Crypto Assets on August 18, introducing exemptions for certain crypto offerings. XRP has historically been sensitive to U.S. securities regulation given Ripple’s past legal dispute with the SEC.
The U.S. Treasury’s announcement to at least double liquidity-support buybacks for longer-dated Treasuries — from $2 billion to $4 billion starting September 9 — pushed long-term yields down by up to 10 basis points, weakened the dollar, and lifted Bitcoin above $68,000.
XRP is now trading around $1.0951 on Thursday, holding above the 50-day EMA at $1.0764. The MACD has crossed above its signal line, and the RSI sits near 59. The next key level to watch is the 100-day EMA at $1.1539.
