XRP has experienced a modest price decline of about 4 percent since the start of 2026, currently trading near $1.90 on major exchanges. Despite the weak price action, on-chain data shows a notable increase in high-balance holders, indicating that accumulation may be occurring behind the scenes.
Santiment reported that XRP has added a net 42 wallets holding at least one million tokens since January 1, 2026. This marks the first growth in so-called “millionaire” wallets since September 2025. The analytics firm noted that this increase has occurred while the token’s price has remained relatively stable, suggesting that larger holders are quietly increasing exposure even as the market consolidates.
At the time of writing, XRP trades at approximately $1.88, reflecting a decline of about 2 percent over the past 24 hours and around 4 percent over the past week. On a monthly basis, the token has shown a slight gain of about 2 percent, but remains roughly 40 percent lower than a year ago. Technical analysis places XRP about 25 percent below its 200-day moving average, which sits near $2.50. Risk-adjusted metrics such as the 30-day Sharpe Ratio are near zero, indicating that recent returns have provided little reward relative to volatility. Short-term momentum indicators also point to consolidation rather than a decisive trend.
Market watchers like XrpArthur have highlighted the divergence between price and wallet growth. They caution against overly optimistic price projections circulating on social media, arguing that expectations of XRP reaching $13 to $30 ignore broader macro conditions, liquidity constraints, Federal Reserve policy, Bitcoin dominance, and the real adoption of the XRP Ledger.
Looking at the outlook for 2026, crypto investment firm 21Shares provided a structured framework for potential price movements. They outlined a base-case scenario near $2.45, a bull case around $2.70, and a bear case close to $1.60. Their analysis emphasizes the importance of regulatory clarity following the August 2025 SEC settlement, which reopened access for U.S. institutions and regulated funds.
Institutional demand via U.S. spot XRP ETFs also plays a key role. Within the first month, these funds reportedly accumulated over $1.3 billion in assets under management. Despite this, 21Shares cautioned that sustained inflows, ongoing tokenization activity, and the adoption of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin will be necessary to support higher valuations.
Currently, XRP remains within a narrow trading range of $1.80 to $2.00. Analysts are closely monitoring whether the token can reclaim resistance near $2.00. The increase in large wallets contrasts with a market that is still hesitant, indicating that XRP is in a holding pattern as 2026 unfolds.
