Whales increased their holdings by 70 million XRP in a single week—what are big holders betting on near $1.10?

As of July 17, 2026, XRP’s price on Gate has remained steady at around $1.10. Over the past week, whale addresses have cumulatively added about 70 million XRP, even as the token has continued to trade in a range over the past several months. On-chain analytics firm Santiment data shows that whale wallets holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP have increased their combined holdings to approximately 383 million XRP. Meanwhile, the number of activated accounts on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has surpassed 8 million.

With the price moving sideways, network expansion underway, and large holders adding positions at the same time—these three clues often indicate that the market is undergoing some kind of structural reconfiguration.

Whale Accumulated 70 Million XRP in One Week—What Do the Specific Data Reveal?

On-chain analyst Ali Martinez, citing Santiment data, said that over the past week, whales’ total holdings rose from about 3.76 billion XRP to about 3.83 billion XRP, a net increase of roughly 70 million XRP. At a price of $1.10, the value of this accumulation is about $77 million.

The accumulation is not evenly distributed. Data show that from July 10 to 11, holdings stayed relatively stable; from July 12 to 13, they rose to about 3.79 billion XRP; and on July 14 they reached the weekly peak of about 3.83 billion XRP. Although on July 15 there was a small pullback to about 3.82 billion XRP, the week-long net accumulation remained significant.

The holdings of these whale wallets have reached roughly 6% of XRP’s circulating supply. Against a backdrop where the price has not seen a clear directional breakout, such a scale of net inflow of capital is worth watching.

Holdings Surpass 12 Billion XRP—Is the Long-Term Accumulation Trend Accelerating?

Looking further back on the timeline, whale accumulation is not an isolated event limited to the past week. Since July 2025, when XRP fell back from its historical high of $3.6, whale addresses holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP have collectively accumulated more than 4.63 billion XRP. These whale wallets’ combined holdings rose from about 8 billion XRP in early July 2025 to 11.18 billion XRP by December 2025. After three months of slowed accumulation, they accelerated again in March 2026, and have now surpassed 12 billion XRP for the first time.

At the current price, the added 4.63 billion XRP in holdings is worth about $4.9 billion. If valued at the $3.6 high from July 3, 2025, the value exceeds $16.6 billion.

Notably, the accumulation is not evenly distributed across the entire period of price decline. In the initial phase of the sharp drop in August 2025, whales took profits, bringing holdings down to 7.5 billion XRP at one point; only afterward did they shift to sustained absorption. This pattern suggests that large holders are not blindly buying the dip—they make directional decisions after the price structure changes.

Sideways Price and Whale Accumulation Coexist—Why Is There a Divergence Between On-Chain Data and Price?

Since XRP’s July 2025 peak, it has cumulatively fallen more than 70%, and this year’s decline is close to 42%. Yet whale holdings in the same period have grown against the trend. Falling prices alongside continuous whale accumulation creates a clear divergence between on-chain data and price.

In market analysis frameworks, this divergence is often viewed as a split between “smart money” and “panic sellers.” In its May report, Santiment noted that the ratio of positive to negative sentiment for XRP has fallen to 1.1, meaning the market overall is more bearish. Retail investors generate fear during sustained declines, while whales keep increasing exposure while prices weaken.

From the perspective of holding structure, the split exists not only at the price level, but also across addresses of different sizes. Medium-sized addresses holding between 100k and 1 million XRP have collectively reduced holdings by about 1.3 billion XRP since August 2025, while whales holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP have continued to expand their positions. This “big fish eats small fish” style of holding migration forms one of the most core structural features of today’s XRP on-chain data.

8 Million Activated Accounts and Ecosystem Expansion—How Does the Network Fundamentals Support the Narrative?

Whale accumulation is not happening in a vacuum. The number of activated accounts on XRPL has already surpassed 8 million. The ongoing rise in network adoption provides a fundamental anchor for capital behavior.

Tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) has become one of the fastest-growing XRPL application scenarios. Institutions are issuing digital versions of government bonds, private credit, and real estate on this network. Ripple’s enterprise payment solutions and its U.S.-dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD are also continuously expanding the network’s payment ecosystem.

In addition, XRPL has recently launched an AI Hub, enabling autonomous agents to trade natively on XRPL, handle payment API fees, and execute automated financial tasks. From cross-border payments to asset tokenization to AI-driven financial applications, XRPL’s application boundaries are continually expanding. Network expansion lays the groundwork for long-term token demand, while whales’ continued accumulation can be viewed as a capital-layer response to these fundamental changes.

The $1.10 Threshold and $1.20 Resistance—What Signals Does Technical Analysis Show?

Technically, XRP is currently trading within a range of $1.05 to $1.20. After rebounding from the $1.05 support zone, the price has received buy-side support around $1.10. The daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) is 48.64, with the signal line at 47.74, indicating that buy pressure has been improving steadily, but it remains below the neutral level of 50.

Multiple technical analysis frameworks point in the same direction: XRP continues to trade within a descending wedge pattern, which is widely viewed as a potential reversal structure. If the price decisively breaks above the wedge’s upper trendline resistance, it could trigger a new upward momentum. And $1.20 is considered a key resistance level that reinforces the bullish technical outlook.

A liquidation heatmap shows that above the current price there are multiple dense liquidity clusters, mainly around $1.12, $1.14, and $1.16. These areas may attract price action due to the concentration of leveraged positions, triggering volatility caused by forced liquidations.

The CLARITY Bill Window Is Approaching—How Will Regulatory Catalysts Affect Expectations?

The timing of whale accumulation overlaps with the regulatory process, which cannot be ignored. U.S. lawmakers have entered a 20-day window to pass the CLARITY Bill. The bill aims to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets, clarifying which digital assets are securities and which fall under commodity regulation.

Among the three major mainstream tokens, XRP has the most direct exposure to the outcome of the CLARITY Bill, because the bill would shift its current commodity classification from institutional rulings to permanent regulations. Data from prediction markets show the probability of the bill passing in the Senate has risen to 79%.

Scenario analysis shows that if the bill fails to pass, XRP may first drop to $0.90 to $1.00; if panic selling spreads, it could further test $0.75 to $0.80. If the bill makes progress, XRP’s upside reaction could be more pronounced. Still, some analysts note that even if the bill fails, the crypto industry may gain most of the expected results over the next two and a half years through institutional regulatory guidance.

Whatever the final outcome of the bill is, uncertainty itself is pushing market participants to adjust their positions. The whale accumulation behavior ahead of the bill vote can be interpreted as an early positioning for the long-term benefit of regulatory clarity, rather than a simple bet on short-term price direction.

Summary

As of July 17, 2026, XRP’s price on Gate has remained steady at around $1.10. Over the past week, whale addresses accumulated about 70 million XRP, bringing total holdings to approximately 3.83 billion XRP. Since XRP fell back from its July 2025 peak, whales have collectively accumulated more than 4.63 billion XRP, and holdings have surpassed 12 billion XRP for the first time. Meanwhile, XRPL’s activated accounts have surpassed 8 million, with network adoption continuing to expand.

With sideways price action and whale accumulation occurring together, medium and small addresses reducing while whales absorb, and the regulatory window approaching overlapping with ecosystem expansion—these three sets of contradictions exist simultaneously, forming the core characteristics of the current XRP market. On-chain data suggest that large holders are increasing exposure in a “quiet accumulation” manner, while technical analysis indicates that the market is waiting for a directional breakout within the $1.05 to $1.20 range. The next move in the market will depend on whether on-chain capital behavior, technical breakout signals, and the regulatory process align or diverge.

FAQ

Q1: How much XRP did whales specifically accumulate over the past week?

According to Santiment on-chain data, whale addresses holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP net accumulated about 70 million XRP over the past week, with holdings rising from about 3.76 billion XRP to about 3.83 billion XRP.

Q2: What is the current price of XRP?

As of July 17, 2026, XRP’s price on Gate has remained steady at around $1.10.

Q3: Does whale accumulation mean the price is about to rise?

Whale accumulation reflects large holders’ capital behavior within the current price range, but the on-chain data alone does not constitute a price prediction. Accumulation may reflect long-term positioning intentions, but short-term price is still influenced by multiple factors including technical conditions, regulatory progress, and market sentiment.

Q4: How is the XRP Ledger network developing?

XRPL’s activated accounts have surpassed 8 million. Network applications have expanded from cross-border payments into areas such as RWA tokenization, DeFi, and AI-driven financial applications.

Q5: What impact does the CLARITY Bill have on XRP?

The bill is intended to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets. XRP has the most direct exposure to the outcome of the bill because it would shift its commodity classification from institutional rulings to permanent regulations. The bill’s progress or potential blockage could significantly affect market sentiment.