Key Takeaways
- XRP posted an 11% weekly gain, reaching $1.53 and surpassing BNB to secure fourth position by market capitalization at $93.4 billion.
- Binance futures open interest increased 59% from October 2025 levels to 353 million XRP, indicating growing leveraged positions during the rally.
- Whale wallets and long-term investors added more than 351 million XRP on March 1, marking the largest single-day accumulation in recent months.
- XRP-focused exchange-traded funds experienced $28 million in net outflows last week as institutional appetite cooled despite retail momentum.
- Price action faces critical resistance at $1.55, where a bearish rejection pattern suggests possible short-term consolidation or retracement.
Ripple’s XRP token delivered strong weekly performance, advancing 11% to reach approximately $1.53 by March 17, 2026. This price movement allowed XRP to leapfrog BNB and reclaim the fourth position among cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, now valued at $93.4 billion.
Daily trading volumes surged 125% to $3.22 billion as buyers pushed through the stubborn $1.40 resistance level. This price threshold had capped upward movement for several weeks, making the breakout particularly noteworthy for market participants.
The advance occurred against a backdrop of geopolitical tension. Brent crude oil continues trading near the $100 mark following supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz connected to the Iran situation, now entering its third week.
Whale Wallets Expand Holdings Amid Global Tensions
Countering expectations during a period of macroeconomic stress, XRP’s long-term holder base has expanded positions rather than reducing exposure.
According to Glassnode analytics, long-term holders absorbed over 351 million XRP tokens on March 1—just one day following the onset of the Iran conflict. This represented the most substantial single-day accumulation recorded in several months.
This accumulation pattern has persisted throughout the month, with continuous net buying driving the metric to its highest monthly reading since May 2025. Such on-chain patterns typically emerge during market recovery cycles.
Retail participation is rebounding as well. Open interest in XRP futures contracts climbed to $2.66 billion on Monday from $2.56 billion the previous day. The cryptocurrency Fear & Greed Index also improved to 23 from the prior week’s reading of 8, though sentiment remains firmly in extreme fear territory.
ETF Outflows and Corporate Strategy Controversy
Institutional capital has moved in the opposite direction. XRP investment vehicles recorded $76 million in outflows during the previous week, with exchange-traded funds responsible for $28 million of those redemptions. Month-to-date outflows have reached $133 million, reducing total assets under management to $2.4 billion.
Ripple Labs is also confronting criticism regarding its token distribution approach. Industry observers have questioned whether the company’s practice of selling premined XRP to retail participants while deploying proceeds toward acquisitions, non-XRP initiatives, and equity buybacks creates misaligned incentives.
Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz has reportedly addressed these concerns, though detractors maintain the structure disproportionately benefits Ripple Labs equity stakeholders rather than XRP token holders.
From a technical perspective, XRP encountered bearish resistance near its 50-day exponential moving average at $1.55. The asset continues trading beneath both its 50-day and 200-day EMAs. A decisive close above $1.60 would be required to suggest a broader trend reversal.
Binance open interest registered 353.49 million XRP on March 17, approaching but still trailing the pre-correction peak of 400 million recorded in September 2025.
