Bitrue reported a sharp rise in XRP spot buying on February 26, noting a 212 percent increase in purchase volume. According to the exchange, buy orders were more than twice as large as sell orders that day.
The platform connected this surge to continued institutional allocations through recently introduced XRP exchange traded funds. It stated that these products have attracted about 1.1 billion dollars in cumulative inflows, suggesting that steady participation from funds and retail investors could gradually reduce available supply.
Spot Demand Strengthens Amid ETF Interest
In a post on X, Bitrue explained that XRP buy activity significantly outweighed selling pressure on its platform. The exchange attributed this imbalance to ongoing institutional accumulation since the launch of XRP ETFs, which it claims have gathered around 1.1 billion dollars in net assets. However, data from SoSoValue indicates that ETF flows have been relatively subdued in recent days.
While spot demand appears strong, derivatives data paints a more cautious picture. Figures from CryptoQuant show that XRP futures open interest has declined across major exchanges over the past three months. On Binance, open interest dropped by 7.7 million XRP, while Bybit recorded a reduction of roughly 12 million tokens. In addition, the three month moving average of XRP futures trading volume has fallen to about 87 billion dollars, its lowest level since November 2024.
At the time of writing, XRP was trading near 1.44 dollars. The token gained nearly 5 percent over the past 24 hours and around 2 percent during the week. Despite this short term strength, it remains down more than 23 percent over the past month and nearly 38 percent over the past year, well below its July 2025 peak of 3.65 dollars.
Lower Leverage Alongside Firm Spot Buying
The contrast between rising spot purchases and shrinking derivatives exposure points to a shift in market structure rather than broad based bullish momentum. Open interest currently stands near 2.37 billion dollars based on data from CoinGlass. The pullback in leveraged positions may indicate that traders are scaling back risk following extended volatility.
Price action remains confined within a narrow band between 1.38 and 1.48 dollars over the last 24 hours. Market analyst CasiTrades has identified resistance levels near 1.40 and 1.65 dollars, with support around 1.11 and 0.87 dollars. A sustained breakout above resistance would likely depend on stronger ETF driven inflows and broader market participation.
Overall, while Bitrue’s data highlights robust exchange level demand, broader indicators suggest the market is adjusting and stabilizing rather than entering a rapid expansion phase.
Even so, Bitrue maintains an optimistic outlook. The exchange believes that increasing retail and institutional involvement could create tighter supply conditions, potentially allowing XRP to outperform major competitors in the second quarter of 2026.
