Key Takeaways
- XRP hovers near $1.36, struggling beneath its 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day exponential moving averages
- Institutional XRP ETFs attracted $12.57 million this week, pushing total cumulative inflows to $1.39 billion
- Binance’s XRP holdings decreased from 2.78 billion to 2.74 billion tokens, indicating holders are withdrawing assets from exchanges
- On May 20, the XRP Ledger saw 4,300 fresh wallets created within 24 hours—the fourth-highest expansion rate in 2026
- XRP trades 62% beneath its $3.66 multi-year peak from July 2025, facing critical resistance between $1.40 and $1.55
XRP currently changes hands around $1.36 following an unsuccessful attempt to push beyond $1.39 on Thursday. The digital asset maintains position slightly above crucial short-term support at $1.35, though the overall momentum continues facing downward pressure.
The current valuation remains positioned below three significant moving averages. The 50-day exponential moving average stands at $1.41, while the 100-day EMA registers at $1.48, and the 200-day EMA reaches $1.70. With all three indicators positioned above market price, technical analysts suggest this configuration restricts potential for substantial upward movement.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) measures approximately 42 on the daily timeframe. This reading indicates moderate bearish momentum without entering oversold conditions. Meanwhile, the MACD histogram continues trading in negative territory, confirming short-term bearish control persists.
Should XRP slip beneath the $1.35 threshold, traders anticipate the next support zone materializes around $1.30, where buying interest may resurface.
Institutional Capital Maintains Three-Week Positive Streak
Contrary to subdued price performance, institutional capital continues accumulating XRP through exchange-traded funds. Spot XRP ETFs registered $12.57 million in aggregate inflows through Thursday this week, extending the positive flow streak to three consecutive weeks.
ETF FLOWS: US SPOT CRYPTO ETFs FLOWS DATA UPDATE (22-05-2026)
🟥 Bitcoin ETFs: -1,384 $BTC (-$105.19M)
🟥 Ethereum ETFs: -3,216 $ETH (-$6.67M)
🟩 XRP ETFs: +7.06M $XRP (+$9.47M)
🟩 SOLANA ETFs: +70.06K $SOL (+$5.94M)
🟩 HYPE ETFs: +196.02K $HYPE (+$10.95M)
🟩 CHAINLINK ETFs:… https://t.co/r0290czK8Q pic.twitter.com/lEz0v4tYbs— Crypto Patel (@CryptoPatel) May 23, 2026
Total cumulative inflows have climbed to $1.39 billion, while assets under management now total $1.15 billion. Thursday’s session alone contributed $8.8 million in net inflows, representing the 12th uninterrupted day of positive ETF movement.
United States-based spot XRP ETFs currently control approximately 1.34% of XRP’s entire circulating supply. Throughout May specifically, these investment vehicles have absorbed roughly $107.3 million worth of XRP.
Simultaneously, XRP holdings on Binance contracted from a May peak of 2.78 billion down to 2.74 billion tokens. Declining exchange reserves typically signal bullish market sentiment, as the pattern suggests investors are transferring tokens into private wallets rather than positioning for liquidation.
Blockchain Activity Accelerates With Fresh Wallet Creation
Blockchain metrics revealed significant XRP Ledger engagement on May 20. The network registered 4,300 newly created wallets within a single 24-hour window—marking the fourth-largest expansion spike throughout 2026, per Santiment data. Daily active addresses simultaneously surged from 32,000 to 43,520 during this identical timeframe.
📈 $XRP has had 4,300 new wallets created in 24 hours, the 4th largest spike of 2026. Network growth is among the top leading signals to identify reversals.
🔗 Check out XRP’s network growth and level of address activity any time with this handy chart: https://t.co/8jwj1uvJta pic.twitter.com/Fbo1WRKEN8
— Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) May 21, 2026
Market analyst Amonyx highlighted this development, questioning whether it represents a trend reversal indicator. Santiment emphasized that “network growth is among the top leading signals to identify reversals.” Fellow analyst Niroshan682 observed that fresh wallet generation frequently serves as an early indicator of renewed network engagement, particularly when coinciding with strengthening ETF inflows and institutional participation.
Nevertheless, overhead resistance continues limiting price appreciation. Approximately 3.75 billion XRP is held by investors at average acquisition costs between $1.37–$1.45, based on Glassnode cost-basis analysis. This concentration zone could trigger selling activity as prices approach these break-even thresholds.
An additional resistance layer exists at $1.68–$1.70, where roughly 3.8 billion XRP was acquired. XRP currently trades 62% below its July 2025 peak of $3.66.
Market participants require sustained momentum above the $1.40–$1.55 corridor to validate a breakout from the present consolidation structure. Thursday’s $8.8 million ETF inflow represented the strongest positive indicator during an otherwise range-bound week for valuation.
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