XRP whale accumulation continued in 2026 even as the token recorded a 43% price decline. Santiment data shows wallets holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP added 1.23 billion tokens since January.
The group held 10.97 billion XRP in January and 12.2 billion currently. Buying was irregular, though accumulation began before 2026. In November 2025, these wallets increased their holdings by 2.4 billion XRP.
XRP Whale Holdings Reached July Peak
Large holders slowed purchases in December and stayed quiet for several months. Accumulation gradually resumed in March 2026 and continued into the summer.
The balance peaked at 12.27 billion XRP on July 8 before easing to 12.2 billion. At current prices, the accumulated tokens are worth about $1.279 billion. At XRP’s previous record high of $3.66, the same amount would have been valued near $4.5 billion.
Exchange activity also showed fewer large transfers during July. On-chain analyst Darkfost reported that whale transfers to Binance fell to 25.3 million XRP by mid-July, the lowest level since January 2025. At their peak, such transfers reached 583 million XRP, worth about $1.36 billion.
Darkfost said, “This marks an essential first stage, the exhaustion of the largest XRP sellers on Binance, while price consolidates around $1 since June. This offers some relief for the price, which will now need a return of genuinely sustained demand to trigger a durable bullish move.”
XRP Whale Groups Show Mixed Positioning
The number of addresses holding 10 million to 100 million XRP also increased during 2026. The group started January with 301 addresses, fell to 285 in February, then climbed to 322 in early July. The figure slipped to 313, remaining below the all-time high of 351.
Other whale groups differed. Wallets holding 100 million to 1 billion XRP reduced their combined balance from 8.43 billion to 8.13 billion XRP, distributing about 300 million tokens.
Meanwhile, wallets holding 1 million to 10 million XRP increased their balance by 260 million tokens to 3.83 billion XRP. The 100,000 to 1 million XRP group reduced holdings from 6.43 billion to 6.37 billion, a decline of about 60 million XRP.
XRP Price Remains Under Pressure
The accumulation indicates that some large XRP holders increased exposure despite weak price performance. However, whale buying alone has not produced an immediate recovery, while supply changes across holder groups remain mixed.
XRP currently trades above $1 after falling about 6% over the past month. The token is also up 10% against other leading altcoins. Ethereum has gained 10%, while BNB is up 5%. Some analysts still expect XRP could fall another 35% in the coming months, which would take the token below $1.
