TLDR
- XRP climbed over 20% and hit $1.16, driven by a broad crypto market recovery and regulatory optimism from Washington.
- More than 300 million XRP tokens were accumulated by whales in just 96 hours.
- Over $1.5 billion in crypto short positions were liquidated, adding fuel to the XRP rally.
- XRP ETFs recorded net inflows, with Bitwise and Franklin Templeton leading the way.
- The $1.20–$1.25 zone is now the key technical area to watch for the next move.
XRP jumped more than 20% over the latest trading period, pushing from around $1.00 toward the $1.15–$1.25 range. Trading volume surged 392.81% to $4.22 billion in 24 hours, showing strong market participation.
The rally came alongside a broader crypto market rebound. Bitcoin climbed 11% and briefly touched $71,500, its highest point in 80 days. The total crypto market cap rose 10.94% to $2.44 trillion.
A key trigger was a White House crypto summit on August 19. President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the CLARITY Act, which aims to set clearer rules for digital assets. Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, was present at the meeting.
The U.S. Treasury also announced plans to increase long-term bond buybacks. Lower yields pushed investors toward riskier assets, including crypto.
The SEC proposed a new framework called “Regulation Crypto Assets” on August 18. It would allow qualifying issuers to raise up to $5 million over four years and up to $75 million in a 12-month period through token offerings. The framework is still in a 60-day comment period.
Whale Accumulation Tightens Supply
On-chain data from Ali Charts showed large XRP holders bought more than 300 million tokens in 96 hours. Whale holdings climbed toward 16.3 billion XRP total.
XRP WHALES GO CRAZY!
More than 300 million $XRP have been scooped up by whales in just 96 hours. https://t.co/70eHTdeG8a pic.twitter.com/4Pv9ME8tEr
— Ali Charts (@alicharts) August 20, 2026
Analyst Ali Charts posted on X: “XRP WHALES GO CRAZY! More than 300 million $XRP have been scooped up by whales in just 96 hours.” This wave of buying helped push XRP through resistance levels at $1.05, $1.10, and $1.15.
Separate Santiment data showed the number of XRP Ledger wallets holding over 1 million tokens reached 2,038 on August 12, a multi-month high.
Short Squeeze Adds Momentum
More than $1.5 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated during the rally. XRP perpetual-futures open interest declined while Net Position Delta improved, a pattern that points to short positions being forcibly closed.
XRP ETFs added to the positive picture. Net inflows hit $2.35 million on August 19, with Bitwise leading at $1.19 million and Franklin Templeton at $1.16 million. Total ETF net assets reached $1.01 billion.
Key Technical Levels
XRP reclaimed its 50-day simple moving average near $1.07. The 14-period RSI stood at 63.76, showing positive momentum without hitting overbought levels.
The $1.20–$1.25 zone is now the key resistance area. Classic pivot R2 sits near $1.25, while the 200-period EMA is around $1.34. A Senate vote on the CLARITY Act is scheduled for September 15.
