XRP is one of the hottest major cryptocurrencies in the market right now. The price jumped roughly 7% today and briefly pushed above $1.60, and reached that level for the first time since February 4; nearly eight months ago.
The rally itself is impressive, but the activity occurring behind the XRP price move may be even more important. Data shared by Santiment shows a surge in large XRP transactions alongside a substantial increase in newly created wallets.
At the same time, developments around the XRP Ledger (XRPL), RLUSD and institutional investment products are giving traders additional reasons to watch whether the pump can develop into something larger.
What you'll learn 👉
XRP Whales Suddenly Become Much More Active
Santiment reported 1,917 XRP transactions worth at least $100,000 as XRP broke through $1.60. According to the analytics platform, this represented the strongest high-value transaction activity in roughly a month.
The chart makes the increase particularly noticeable. The light-blue line representing $100,000-plus transactions rises dramatically around the latest price pump, while XRP itself climbs rapidly from the $1.40 area toward $1.60.
This does not necessarily mean whales purchased 1,917 large batches of XRP.
A whale-transaction metric counts large on-chain movements and cannot, by itself, determine whether those transactions represented buying, selling, transfers between wallets or other activity. What it does show is that large XRP holders became considerably more active at the same time that price accelerated.
That distinction matters. Calling the data “whale accumulation” without additional evidence would go further than the chart supports.
Still, increasing activity among large holders during a breakout is something traders will likely continue monitoring, particularly if the elevated transaction count persists rather than disappearing once the initial rally cools.
3,647 New XRP Wallets Add Another Piece to the Puzzle
Whales were not the only group becoming more active.
Santiment also reported that 3,647 new XRP wallets were created, representing a notable increase in network growth.
The purple network-growth line on the chart rises substantially around the latest rally. This is important because it indicates that activity is not confined entirely to wallets that were already participating in the XRP ecosystem.
New wallet creation can indicate expanding participation, although one wallet does not necessarily equal one new user. Existing participants can control multiple addresses, and wallet creation alone does not establish that every new address is actively buying XRP.
Even with those limitations, the combination is notable: XRP broke above $1.60 while both large transactions and new-wallet creation increased.
That gives the rally a broader on-chain backdrop than price action alone.
Read also: ChatGPT Predicts a Stunning Finish to 2026 for XRP!
XRP’s Ecosystem Is Expanding Beyond the Price Rally
Santiment’s observations come as the broader XRP ecosystem has also been expanding.
According to the figures accompanying the analysis, balances associated with tokenized assets and RLUSD on XRPL reached approximately $4.26 billion, while Ripple reports around $2.4 billion of RLUSD in circulation.
Those numbers point to growing stablecoin and tokenized-asset activity connected with the ecosystem. However, higher XRPL activity should not automatically be translated into equivalent demand for XRP itself.
The institutional-access story is developing as well. The supplied market commentary says Bitwise filed an updated XRP ETF registration with the SEC on September 18, while XRP is already represented through several exchange-traded products.
These regulatory and ETF details are time-sensitive and should be checked against the relevant SEC filing and issuer materials before publication.
Taken together, however, the picture described by Santiment is straightforward: XRP’s price is rising at the same time that whale activity, wallet creation and parts of its surrounding financial infrastructure are expanding.
The question is whether those trends persist after the excitement surrounding the breakout fades.
XRP Price Outlook: $1.70 Is Now Coming Into View
In the very short term, part of XRP’s acceleration appears connected to a short squeeze, meaning traders betting against the token were forced to close positions as prices moved higher.
That can add fuel to a rally, but forced buying is temporary. Once short liquidations subside, XRP will need sustained demand to defend its pump.
The first level to watch is $1.52, corresponding to the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement in the technical setup provided. Holding above that area would preserve the immediate bullish structure and leave the 127.2% Fibonacci extension around $1.70 as the next upside target.
From $1.60, reaching $1.70 would require another gain of roughly 6%.
The opposite scenario begins if XRP loses $1.52. Such a move would weaken the breakout and increase the possibility of a deeper retracement toward approximately $1.43, corresponding to the 50% Fibonacci level.
Traders will also be watching the September 25 CFTC report referenced in the market outlook for potential changes in positioning. The exact report and its relevance to XRP should be specified and verified before treating it as a direct catalyst.
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