$XRP ripped through the $1.28 level on Monday with a 13% single-day surge, reclaiming a price zone unseen in two weeks. The move came alongside a broad altcoin relief rally after reports that the US and Iran had reached a resolution, stripping away a geopolitical weight that had been pressing on risk assets. Santiment’s on-chain update framed the bounce not just as a macro snapback, but as a move that was primed by months of heavy accumulation among $XRP’s largest wallets.
On-chain data shows that addresses holding at least one million $XRP now control 74.1% of the entire token supply. Over the past six months, this cohort has added 1.53 billion $XRP to their balances, absorbing a huge amount of floating supply even as sentiment dipped to its lowest levels of the year. When fear finally peeled back with the de-escalation headline, the supply available for sale was already tight, creating the conditions for a powerful relief rally.
Accumulation by Wallets Holding 1M+ $XRP Tightens Market Structure
The concentration data matters because it changes the liquidity profile of the market. With nearly three-quarters of $XRP’s supply sitting in wallets that historically distribute slowly, even modest renewed demand can force prices higher faster than many traders expect. The accumulation through 2026’s sentiment trough suggests that deep-pocketed holders treated the downturn as a buying opportunity, not a reason to exit. The six-month accumulation of 1.53 billion $XRP is one of the most consistent signals of conviction from this whale tier seen this year.
When the macro trigger hit, those who had been quietly building positions were rewarded. The price action then forced sidelined capital to chase, adding fuel to the intraday move. The question now is whether the millionaire wallets continue adding, or if some begin to trim into strength. The Santiment chart tracking this cohort’s holdings will be one of the most watched metrics in the coming sessions.
Institutional Drivers: Payment Network and Tokenization Add Structural Support
Beyond the immediate supply dynamic, $XRP continues to benefit from two longer-term narratives. Ripple’s institutional payment network keeps expanding, and tokenization initiatives on the $XRP Ledger are starting to draw attention from beyond the retail speculation crowd. Both factors helped hold the line during the sentiment slump, giving large holders a reason to keep accumulating rather than reduce exposure. In an environment where the macro backdrop can pivot quickly, assets with real-world use cases and on-chain commitments from long-term holders tend to recover faster than purely speculative tokens.
The sudden de-escalation removed an immediate headwind, but the structural accumulation pattern was already in place. That combination—improving macro conditions layered on top of months of stealth buying—is what produced the speed of $XRP’s breakout. Market participants now face a simpler set of questions: whether the big wallets keep buying, whether the resolution holds, and whether profit-taking intensifies at key levels. For now, the balance sits with the whales that have shown no signs of loosening their grip.
