Whales are moving XRP in large numbers amid its price resurgence, pushing large transactions on the XRP Ledger to levels last seen in October.
XRP whale activity has exploded, according to data from the market intelligence firm Santiment. The firm highlighted a rise in transactions by large XRP whales amid XRP’s price resurgence.
For context, XRP bounced from under $2 at the start of the year to a high of $2.41 this week, bringing its YTD performance to approximately 31%. However, its price has pulled back in the past two days, correcting to $2.14 at the time of writing.
Whales Move XRP Aggressively
Following the positive price action, whales renewed interest in the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Santiment’s on-chain analysis shows a spike in whale transactions on the XRP Ledger, boosting network activity.
Specifically, transactions exceeding $100,000 in XRP spiked to a three-month high on January 6, with 2,802 different transactions moving that much in value. Interestingly, this trend has been persistent this week, Santiment highlighted.
On Jan 5th, whales made 2,170 transactions, each worth $100,000 or more, on the Ledger. On Tuesday, they doubled down on their interest in XRP, moving the coin at a rate last seen in October 2025.
Notably, whale transactions exceeding $1 million also increased considerably. From lows around 1,914, it surged past 2,400, reestablishing renewed whale interest in XRP.
Volatility Ahead
However, the direction of these transactions remains unclear, but the coming days will tell. Whale activities of this magnitude suggest they are either relocating, moving to centralized exchanges or trading platforms for sales, or accumulating massively.
As a result, Santiment warned of higher-than-usual volatility in XRP’s price in the coming days. Specifically, prices might move in the direction of the whale transactions’ bias. If large holders sold, prices might correct further; however, XRP could continue to rally if they accumulated.
For further context, whale transactions exceeding $100,000 surged to nearly 3,000 in early October. This turned out to be a sell-off and coincided with the historic XRP crash from $2.80 to a low of $0.77 on Binance before a strong rebound.
Meanwhile, analysts continue to monitor the price of XRP, which is down 5.7% in the past 24 hours, the largest decline among the top 15 cryptocurrencies by market cap. Notably, the token surged the most when the market rebounded earlier and is now correcting harder than other major digital assets.
Recent analysis framed the earlier pump as part of a broader correctional move. Specifically, Blockchain Backer noted that the 30% surge could be a relief rally before a steeper downtrend in XRP, highlighting that longer-term structures remain bearish despite the price recovery.
However, a move to between $3.2 and $3.30 would change XRP’s structure and confirm a bullish reversal from late 2025’s woes.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
