XRP's price has edged up by nearly 3% over the past week, outperforming many top cryptocurrencies despite ongoing market volatility. This modest gain coincides with a notable shift in ownership patterns: large holders, or whales, are accumulating more XRP, while retail investors reduce their stakes.

Whale Accumulation vs Retail Withdrawals

According to data from Santiment Intelligence, wallets containing between 100,000 and 100 million XRP have grown their combined holdings by 2.8% in the last five weeks. In stark contrast, small retail wallets holding less than 0.01 XRP have declined their balances by 5.2% over the same period. This divergence highlights a growing divide in investor behavior, with larger players increasing their exposure as smaller holders exit.

Historically, XRP’s price tends to follow the activity of major stakeholders rather than retail holders, which suggests that the current whale-driven accumulation might underpin further upward momentum if buying interest persists.

Factors Supporting XRP’s Momentum

Several developments are sustaining interest in XRP. Expanded institutional access comes through XRP-focused exchange-traded fund products, while regulatory clarity is improving as Ripple advances in its ongoing case against the US Securities and Exchange Commission. also growing utility within the XRP Ledger ecosystem including initiatives around cross-border payments, tokenization projects, and the Ripple-backed RLUSD stablecoin keeps the asset in focus.

Technical analysis reinforces a bullish outlook. Analyst Ali Martinez pointed out that XRP broke above a key resistance near $1.13, opening the door for a rally towards $1.30. This follows market enthusiasm driven by Ripple’s legal progress and potential benefits from clearer regulatory frameworks, such as the proposed CLARITY Act, which could enhance XRP’s standing similar to Ethereum’s institutional appeal.

Currently trading around $1.13, XRP’s next test will be sustaining momentum beyond recent highs. Earlier analysis also highlights a longer-term target well above $6, reflecting optimism if regulatory issues continue easing.