XRP Whales Now Hold Most Tokens Since 2018 As Price Eyes $1.50

XRP’s largest holders have pushed their combined balances to the highest level in nearly eight years, according to on-chain analytics firm Santiment, as the token tests the upper end of a recent trading range near $1.50.

Santiment said wallets holding at least 10 million XRP now control 45.83 billion tokens, valued at roughly $68.5 billion based on the price level referenced in its update. The firm described the move as a whale-led push, noting that those wallets now hold 68.5% of XRP’s supply.

“XRP is teasing a $1.50 market value, and whale wallets are leading the charge,” Santiment wrote on X. “Wallets with at least 10M XRP now hold a combined 45.83B XRP tokens ($68.5B USD), the most they’ve held since May, 2018. This translates to 68.5% of the coin’s supply.”

Why This Is A Crucial Moment For XRP Price

The $1.50 area has drawn additional attention because it lines up with a key technical zone on the daily chart. Crypto analyst Cheds Trading described the move as an “XRP bounce into range peak on daily,” alongside a chart showing price pressing into the upper boundary of a multi-month consolidation range.

This means the current move is not only about whale balance growth. XRP has rebounded from a lower support zone and is now trading into a region where prior rallies stalled. A decisive move through that area would change the near-term structure; failure there would reinforce the range that has contained the asset since the sharp sell-off earlier in the year.

Santiment’s broader wallet data adds another layer to the whale accumulation story. In a separate May 13 update, the firm said the XRP Ledger had reached an all-time high of 332,230 wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP. According to Santiment, that count has been in a consistent growth trend since June 2024.

“The continued rise in XRP Ledger wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP is an important long-term signal because it shows that larger holders have kept accumulating even during periods of volatility and uncertainty,” Santiment wrote. “Historically, rising numbers of mid-to-large wallets suggest increasing conviction from investors who are less focused on short-term price swings and more interested in long-term positioning.”

Santiment also highlighted the context behind the trend. XRP has spent much of 2026 trading below previous highs, meaning the rise in larger holder cohorts has occurred during periods when momentum was not uniformly supportive. The firm framed that as evidence of accumulation during weaker market conditions rather than a simple reaction to upside volatility.

There was one notable interruption. Santiment said the number of wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP dropped by more than 4,500 between February 6 and February 8. The firm said there was no confirmed XRP-specific event directly tied to that decline, but added that the timing “strongly suggests” it was connected to the broader crypto crash and liquidations on February 5.

Since then, the growth in 10,000-plus XRP wallets has exceeded the pre-drop level, according to Santiment. That recovery is central to the bullish interpretation of the data: larger holders appear to have rebuilt and expanded their positions after the liquidation-driven reset.

The immediate market question is whether whale accumulation can coincide with a clean break above the range peak near $1.50. Santiment’s data points to rising concentration among the largest wallets and continued growth in mid-to-large XRP holders.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.469.