XRP Reclaims $1.28 As Whale Accumulation Fuels Relief Rally

XRP staged one of the stronger large-cap rebounds of the day, rising about 13% in 24 hours and reclaiming the $1.28 level for the first time in two weeks.

The move came as crypto markets rallied around a broader relief trade after the U.S. and Iran reached an agreement aimed at ending hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The shift eased a major geopolitical pressure point that had weighed on risk assets, energy markets and crypto sentiment over recent weeks.

Bitcoin traded around $66,800, up roughly 4%, while Ethereum moved back above $1,800 for the first time in 10 days after a near-10% daily gain. XRP’s move outpaced both majors, and Cardano also rallied more than 11% as traders rotated back into higher-beta altcoins.

The rebound followed a period of weak XRP sentiment, making the move sharper once macro fear started to fade. Assets that had been pressured by forced selling, lower liquidity and cautious positioning often rebound quickly when the market moves from defensive trading back toward risk exposure.

Million-XRP Wallets Keep Accumulating

XRP’s recovery also came with a strong whale-accumulation backdrop. Wallets holding at least 1 million XRP now hold 74.1% of the token’s supply, after adding another 1.53 billion XRP over the past six months.

That concentration can cut both ways. Large holders can provide strong bid support during periods of stress, especially when they continue accumulating through weak sentiment. The same concentration also means XRP remains sensitive to whale behavior if those holders start distributing into rallies.

For now, the accumulation data helped strengthen the relief trade. XRP had already been trying to recover near the $1.20 to $1.25 zone after a recent dip, and the latest macro shift gave bulls the catalyst they needed to push price back toward the upper end of its short-term range.

Ripple And XRPL Narratives Support Longer-Term Confidence

The XRP rebound is not only a macro move. Traders are still watching Ripple’s institutional payment network, RLUSD activity and tokenization work on the XRP Ledger as longer-term support for the asset’s narrative.

Institutional settlement remains a major part of XRP’s market identity. The XRP Ledger’s role in a tokenized Treasury redemption pilot involving Ondo, Ripple, Mastercard and Kinexys by J.P. Morgan kept XRPL inside the real-world asset discussion, while Ripple’s broader institutional strategy has tied XRP liquidity, stablecoin flows and low-cost settlement into the same ecosystem.

That does not remove short-term volatility. XRP still needs follow-through above the latest rebound zone, and the U.S.-Iran agreement still carries execution risk if negotiations stumble or regional tensions return. But the market setup has changed sharply from last week’s defensive posture.