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@Ripple has entered a long-term partnership with @FloridaGators, making $XRP the official crypto brand of one of college sport's most recognisable athletic programmes. The deal marks a significant step in bringing digital asset branding into mainstream American sports.

$XRP Branding at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumUnder the agreement, the $XRP logo will appear on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium throughout the entire 2026 football season. The placement is one of the most prominent in college sports, putting the $XRP brand in front of tens of thousands of fans at every home game and a much wider television audience.

The scope of the deal extends well beyond a single venue or season. Ripple's partnership covers digital and event branding across all 21 Florida Gators sports programmes, giving $XRP consistent visibility across a broad range of athletic events and the millions of fans who follow them worldwide.

Education and Community OutreachRipple is also using the partnership to push beyond logo placement. The company is launching dedicated educational initiatives aimed at 500 student-athletes and the wider University of Florida community. The programmes are designed to introduce students to digital assets and blockchain technology, positioning $XRP and Ripple as more than a sponsor and as a platform with real-world financial relevance.

The move reflects a broader strategy from Ripple to embed $XRP into mainstream culture through sports. College athletics offers direct access to a large and engaged fan base, and a deal of this size, spanning 21 teams and one of the country's most storied football venues, signals a serious long-term commitment to that approach.

For Florida Gators Athletics, the partnership brings both commercial value and a connection to the growing world of digital finance, at a time when sports organisations across the country are exploring new revenue streams and sponsor categories.

Sources:
Florida Gators Official Website

The cryptocurrency market experienced a significant rally on Friday, September 4, 2026, as a major short squeeze unfolded and key regulatory news broke from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Data from CoinGlass indicated that 105,019 traders saw positions worth $566.90 million liquidated in the past 24 hours, with $478.91 million of these from short positions. The total crypto market capitalization reached $2.711 trillion, expanding to $2.82 trillion when derivatives are included.

Regulatory action reshapes crypto landscapeThe SEC issued Order No. 34-106268, granting Nasdaq Texas, LLC accelerated approval to amend Rule 5711(d) to define “digital commodity” in its rules, legalize actively managed crypto strategies, and permit ETFs to hold up to 15% of their net asset value in instruments that initially do not meet strict eligibility criteria.

In the order, the SEC named Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), and XRP as digital commodities that currently qualify for inclusion in these products. This represents a formal acknowledgment within the exchange’s governance framework, though it does not carry the force of law nationwide.

The SEC’s move follows a wave of decisions from 2025 and 2026, including the September 2025 reduction of crypto ETP approval times from 240 days to 75 days and a March 2026 joint SEC and CFTC interpretation that classified a group of cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, AVAX, DOGE, SHIB, and LINK, as commodities.

In June, regulators cleared T. Rowe Price’s multi-asset crypto ETF, TKNZ, which can flexibly rotate holdings among these coins.

Despite this momentum, legal certainty remains pending. The Senate will hold a vote on the CLARITY Act on September 15, while the House of Representatives has signaled potential delays after canceling its September legislative sessions. The National Sheriffs’ Association, in a recent letter, withdrew objections to DeFi, adopting a neutral position and reducing some lobbying pressure. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse commented, “Making America the crypto capital of the world is within reach — let’s finish the job.”

Making America the crypto capital of the world is within reach — let’s finish the job.

Market rally driven by economic data and ETFsThe rally followed comments by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, who pointed to ongoing disinflation and supported stable interest rates at the Fed’s upcoming meeting. This calmed some market tensions, while the Japanese yen strengthened 2% amid speculation about a rate hike from Japan’s central bank.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $730.87 million in daily inflows, with BlackRock’s IBIT contributing $454 million and pushing total BTC fund assets above $103.34 billion—equivalent to 6.32% of all Bitcoin in circulation. Ethereum ETFs gained $141.24 million, leading to $115.08 million in ETH short liquidations.

Zcash soars 2,300% on AI privacy demand and ETF inclusionZcash (ZEC) climbed 94% over the last 30 days and more than 2,300% in the past year, driven by a sharp short squeeze and renewed privacy concerns as artificial intelligence technology advances. CoinGlass reported $36.46 million in forced ZEC liquidations, nearly all from short positions, with open interest reaching $2.3 billion.

The introduction of OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra model, which scored 98.6% on the ARC-AGI-3 benchmark and enables fully autonomous computer operation, sparked further investor attention. After AI agents were found to have made over 15,000 unauthorized edits to the DseWiki database in Germany, privacy-focused investors looked to Zcash’s zero-knowledge technology as a protective measure against automated surveillance.

In parallel, Nasdaq’s new 15% net asset value buffer rule allowed asset managers to buy ZEC for regulated multi-asset funds, further fueling the short squeeze.

Mini dictionary: Zero-knowledge technology refers to cryptographic protocols that allow one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any information beyond the validity of the statement itself. Zcash employs this technology to provide enhanced privacy for blockchain transactions.

Institutional flows and industry restructuringSpot XRP ETFs continued their inflow streak to 11 sessions, accumulating a total of $1.68 billion, with $6.14 million added in a single day. Daily liquidations for XRP stayed modest at $11.39 million. RLUSD stablecoin supply on the XRP Ledger surpassed $1 billion, and the network received approval from the Bank for International Settlements to record official statistics.

On-chain data revealed large-scale Ethereum sales, with one institution selling 29,735 ETH valued at $72.1 million. Abraxas Capital maintained a $291.4 million short hedge on Hyperliquid, and Multicoin Capital transferred 150,000 HYPE tokens, worth $12.8 million, to Coinbase.

The sector also saw ongoing risk management and listing adjustments. After a $1.7 million exploit at Notional Finance, Binance placed AVA, GNS, SCR, and TOWNS under a Monitoring Tag, and announced the listing of MarsCoin (MARSCOIN) with a Seed Tag. KuCoin and Kraken are set to follow with their own reviews on September 7 and 11, respectively.

This period of explosive growth represents a shift toward maturity as major crypto assets like BTC, ETH, SOL, and XRP channel liquidity through regulated ETF products.

The bitcoin-to-gold ratio climbed above 18, its highest level since January, though analysts noted that historic ETF inflows often precede local corrections. September seasonality—dubbed “Rektember” by traders—is considered a significant risk ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting and the Senate’s CLARITY Act vote, both scheduled for the middle of the month.

Asset30-day Performance (%)1-year Performance (%)ETF Inflows (Latest, $ million)Zcash (ZEC)942,300Included in new ETF allocationXRPN/AN/A6.14 (daily), 1,680 (cumulative)Bitcoin (BTC)N/AN/A730.87 (daily), 454 from BlackRock IBITEthereum (ETH)N/AN/A141.24

Crypto analyst ChartNerd drew significant attention across the digital asset community by sharing a video of US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins addressing the pending Clarity Act. Atkins’ confirmation of the upcoming Senate vote has become a central talking point among market watchers as the industry continues to seek regulatory certainty.

Atkins outlines Senate timeline for crypto billPaul Atkins, who leads the SEC, stated that the Clarity Act will be presented for a vote in the US Senate on September 15. He said, “The Clarity Act, as you notice, will be voted on in the Senate on the 15th of September. I anticipate and hope that it will be passed by the Senate and sent ultimately to the president’s desk for a signature.”

Atkins further described the agency’s regulatory efforts as “our most historic step yet” to meet President Donald Trump’s broader objective of making the United States a global cryptocurrency leader. This public endorsement from the SEC chair suggests strong coordination between the executive branch and the nation’s top securities regulator.

Atkins confirmed the Senate will consider the Clarity Act on September 15, expressing hope for swift passage and stating his aim to move the bill to the president’s desk for a signature.

ChartNerd labeled the next two weeks as “massive” for crypto policy, highlighting the heightened anticipation among stakeholders, especially as legislation that could bring legal clarity to $XRP and other digital assets nears a key milestone.

Mini dictionary: Clarity Act, a legislative bill designed to provide clearer regulatory guidance on the classification and oversight of digital assets and cryptocurrencies in the United States.

SEC pushes ahead on regulatory frontThe SEC’s activities extend beyond advancing the Clarity Act. On September 1, the agency published a significant rule proposal to update long-standing transfer agent regulations for the digital era. The new proposal would allow transfer agents—entities that manage records of securities ownership—to recognize blockchain as an official ledger technology.

Atkins has publicly indicated that the SEC will use existing regulatory authority to adapt to evolving markets, even if the Clarity Act encounters delays in Congress. The transfer agent update demonstrates the SEC’s readiness to modernize financial rules irrespective of the legislative process.

Mini dictionary: Transfer agent, a third-party entity responsible for maintaining records of securities ownership, issuing and cancelling certificates, and ensuring the integrity of shareholder data for companies and investors.

Bipartisan support in CongressSupport for the Clarity Act spans multiple branches of government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture before the August recess, a move that locked in Senate floor time for the bill. Senator Cynthia Lummis publicly confirmed the cloture vote timing: September 15 at 2 p.m.

Senator Tim Scott has told colleagues that the Clarity Act is expected to become law. Meanwhile, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer has expressed frustration at the Senate’s pace, noting that the House passed its version of the bill over a year ago.

BillChamberActionDateClarity ActHouse of RepresentativesPassed2025Clarity ActSenateCloture vote scheduledSeptember 15, 2026Procedural steps and timelineAccording to community members, the September 15 Senate vote is for cloture—a procedural step to end debate and proceed to the final vote. If the bill receives the required 60-vote threshold, the Senate enters a 30-hour waiting period before holding a simple majority vote; the Vice President is authorized to break any tie.

The legislative process has generated broad backing from lawmakers and crypto advocates. As a result, September 15 has become a crucial date for the sector. If successful, the United States will move closer to establishing clear and modern rules for digital assets, with ripple effects likely for the entire market.

The Clarity Act, set for a Senate vote on September 15, stands as a major turning point for US digital asset regulation, carrying bipartisan backing and strong support from key government officials.

In brief Spot Ethereum ETFs posted $48.08 million in net outflows Wednesday, ending a 12-day inflow streak that had pulled in $1.62 billion. Spot XRP ETFs recorded $7.2 million in outflows, snapping an 11-session run that brought in roughly $170 million and pushed cumulative inflows to $1.68 billion. Bitcoin ETFs rebounded with $101.15 million in net inflows, a day after posting $236.5 million in outflows, their largest single-day exit since July 31. US spot Ethereum and XRP ETFs broke their winning streaks on Wednesday. Bitcoin funds went the other way, pulling in $101.15 million in fresh money, per SoSoValue and Decrypt data.

ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, are funds that trade like stocks and let investors buy exposure to a cryptocurrency's price through a regular brokerage account instead of holding the coin itself. Crypto ETFs have been extremely popular among investors, and market observers keep a close eye on the money going in and out of these funds as a key indicator of current sentiment.

Bitcoin ETF Net Flows. Image: DecryptEthereum ETFs had logged 12 straight days of net inflows, meaning more money came into the funds than left them every single day for two and a half weeks. That streak gathered $1.62 billion before ending Wednesday with $48.08 million walking out the door.

BlackRock's iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) led the exodus with $53.4 million in outflows. Fidelity's FETH lost $26.2 million, and Grayscale's Ethereum Staking ETF (ETHE) shed $23.5 million. BlackRock's staked Ethereum ETF, ETHB—a fund that locks up its Ethereum to earn network rewards and passes some of that yield to shareholders—absorbed part of the damage with $52.9 million in inflows.

Ethereum ETF Net Flows. Image: DecryptXRP told a similar story on a smaller scale. Its 11-session streak had brought in about $170 million, lifting cumulative inflows to $1.68 billion, before Wednesday's $7.2 million outflow. The withdrawal came almost entirely from Bitwise's XRP fund, while the four other XRP products, issued by Franklin, Canary, 21Shares and Grayscale, recorded no flows either way.

Bitcoin moved in the opposite direction. Wednesday's $101.15 million inflow reversed Tuesday's $236.5 million outflow, the category's largest single-day exit since July 31, when BlackRock's IBIT alone accounted for 85% of the damage. This time IBIT led the comeback, pulling in $115.45 million on its own, more than the day's entire net total, while Grayscale's original GBTC fund still lost $56.21 million.

The whiplash caps a volatile stretch. Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $3.52 billion in August, their best month of 2026, a run that included a $606 million single-day haul in mid-August, the biggest since May. Total net assets across the category now sit at $97.22 billion, with cumulative inflows near $54.7 billion since the funds launched in January 2024.

XRP ETF Net Flows. Image: DecryptSeptember has a habit of testing that momentum. Bitcoin has closed the month lower in eight of the past 13 years, a pattern Decrypt has tracked as Red September, and this year's version arrives with the Federal Reserve's rate decision landing September 15 to 16, the first hike debate since the central bank's 2022-2023 tightening cycle

Why the money picked BitcoinWednesday's split wasn't just Ethereum and XRP losing steam. Solana ETFs also posted a $6.13 million outflow the same day, meaning three of the four major crypto ETF categories retreated while only Bitcoin advanced. That's a narrower signal than "crypto is cooling"—it looks more like capital consolidating into Bitcoin specifically rather than spreading across digital assets broadly, a pattern that also showed up during last month's institutional buying spree.

In the most overly simplistic explanation, Bitcoin is the bigger, thus safer asset in the ecosystem.

Myriad: Bitcoin's next price move? Click to make your prediction.Another thing to consider comes with simple market expectation. Ethereum and XRP had each just run their longest inflow streaks in months, 12 and 11 sessions respectively, so a pause to lock in gains was overdue on both. Bitcoin, by contrast, was coming off Tuesday's outflow and had room to bounce.

The rest is macro nerves. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's hawkish Jackson Hole remarks pushed September rate-hike odds above 60% on the CME's FedWatch tool, and when crypto investors get defensive, Bitcoin is typically the first asset they buy back into and the last one they exit, since it carries the deepest liquidity and the longest institutional track record of any crypto ETF on the market. XRP and Ethereum, both newer and thinner by comparison, tend to see that caution show up as outflows first.

The simplest explanation tends to be the right one.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.

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XRP generated more questions than any other cryptocurrency during a Bitwise presentation to approximately 400 wealth managers, research analyst Ryan Rasmussen said on Sept. 2.

Summary

About 400 wealth managers attended Bitwise’s presentation, where XRP generated the most audience questions overall. 67% of surveyed participants said they did not currently allocate client portfolios to cryptocurrency investments. 60% expected crypto prices to rise by year-end, according to Bitwise analyst Ryan Rasmussen’s poll. Another 60% said they planned cryptocurrency allocations within one year, although intentions may change materially. U.S. spot XRP funds ended eleven inflow sessions with approximately $7.2 million leaving September 2. Rasmussen and Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan discussed Bitcoin, Solana, Hyperliquid, stablecoins and tokenization during the event. When asked about XRP afterward, Rasmussen said it was “the most asked about throughout the presentation,” adding that there was “a lot of interest.”

The statement provides evidence of attention among attendees at one Bitwise event. It does not establish that XRP is the most popular cryptocurrency among wealth managers generally, nor does it show that participants intend to invest specifically in XRP.

XRP interest contrasts with limited crypto allocations Rasmussen’s audience poll found that 67% of participants did not currently allocate to cryptocurrency. The wording did not specify whether the question concerned personal investments, client portfolios or firm-wide allocations.

Another 60% said they expected cryptocurrency prices to be higher by the end of 2026. The same share said they planned to allocate to the asset class within the next year.

XRP was the most asked about throughout the presentation. A lot of interest.

— Ryan Rasmussen (@RasterlyRock) September 3, 2026 Those responses reflect expectations and stated intentions rather than completed investment decisions. Market conditions, compliance policies and client risk limits could affect whether the planned allocations occur.

Bitwise did not publish the participants’ firms, assets under management, geographic distribution or sampling method. The results should therefore be treated as an informal event poll rather than a representative survey of the wealth-management industry.

XRP ETF flows provide a regulated access route U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded funds recorded 11 consecutive trading sessions of net inflows through Sept. 1, attracting approximately $170 million during the period, according to SoSoValue data.

The products had accumulated roughly $1.68 billion in net inflows since launching in November 2025. However, the streak ended on Sept. 2, when the funds recorded approximately $7.2 million in combined net outflows.

One negative session does not establish a longer-term reversal. Daily ETF flows can change because of portfolio rebalancing, short-term trading and broader market conditions.

Crypto.news previously reported that XRP’s recovery increasingly depended on sustained ETF inflows and regulatory progress. At the time, cumulative inflows had already exceeded the threshold used in one external bullish forecast, although the pace of new investment remained uneven.

Institutional filings show exposure, not investor intent Goldman Sachs was the largest disclosed institutional holder of U.S. spot XRP ETFs at the end of the second quarter, according to Bloomberg Intelligence data compiled from Form 13F filings.

The bank disclosed approximately $87.4 million in XRP ETF exposure. Jane Street followed with about $16.6 million, while Millennium Management reported roughly $16.2 million.

Form 13F filings provide quarterly snapshots of certain securities held by large investment managers. They do not explain whether positions are proprietary investments, client holdings, hedges or inventory supporting market-making operations.

The filings are also backward-looking. Second-quarter reports show positions as of June 30 and do not reveal changes made afterward. They support the conclusion that regulated XRP products have attracted professional market participants, but they do not prove a directional view on XRP.

Wealth managers still face allocation barriers Wealth managers considering cryptocurrency exposure must assess volatility, custody, liquidity, suitability and regulatory requirements. Approval processes can also differ between independent advisers, broker-dealers and larger financial institutions.

Spot ETFs remove the need to manage wallets or private keys directly. They nevertheless retain exposure to movements in the underlying cryptocurrency and can experience substantial price declines.

Interest in XRP may reflect several developments, including ETF availability, Ripple’s institutional expansion and activity across the XRP Ledger. In related coverage, crypto.news reported that Ripple’s regulated financial businesses continued expanding even as XRP’s price weakened.

The next measurable development will be whether the stated allocation plans produce sustained fund inflows. Future 13F filings will also show whether large managers increased, reduced or exited their XRP ETF positions during the third quarter.

For now, Bitwise’s event indicates curiosity rather than confirmed demand. XRP dominated questions from the audience, but most participants had not yet made any cryptocurrency allocation.

A new consortium of 21 global banks, led by Goldman Sachs and Japan’s MUFG Bank, has unveiled plans to develop its own U.S. dollar stablecoin, drawing significant attention from industry leaders. Emi Yoshikawa, a longtime fintech entrepreneur and former vice president of strategic initiatives at Ripple, reacted to the announcement by expressing a strong sense of “déjà vu,” noting that this is the precise trajectory she had anticipated for major banks and digital assets.

TradFi’s approach: control and isolationYoshikawa’s eight years at Ripple, where she helped shape the company’s institutional growth in Asia, inform her remarks. She highlighted a common pattern in traditional finance: after years of evaluating external blockchain solutions, leading banks ultimately prefer to create their own closed frameworks. By doing so, they maintain control over liquidity, compliance, and transaction fees, rather than integrating with established platforms such as the XRP Ledger from Ripple.

Yoshikawa emphasized that the largest banks repeatedly move toward systems they can fully oversee, rather than adopting open networks, reflecting consistent strategic priorities across the industry.

Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, is collaborating with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Japan’s leading bank by assets, to spearhead this stablecoin initiative. The project is characteristic of a shift where top banks avoid third-party blockchain integration and build bespoke solutions for institutional needs.

Mini dictionary: MUFG Bank, or Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, is the largest banking institution in Japan and a major global financial services provider.

Japan’s dual-track stablecoin developmentThe news coincides with developments in Japan, where MUFG Bank is active in another ambitious digital asset project. By March 2027, MUFG, along with fellow megabanks SMBC and Mizuho, plans to launch interbank settlements using a yen-based stablecoin. This product, built on the Progmat platform originally developed within MUFG, could potentially enable controlled blockchain-based yen-to-dollar conversions for cross-border transactions.

As the only Asian participant in the U.S. dollar stablecoin initiative, MUFG’s involvement in both projects places it at the intersection of global and domestic stablecoin innovation.

Mini dictionary: Progmat is a blockchain-based platform established by MUFG to support digital assets and programmable money, helping banks issue and manage stablecoins in Japan.

Stablecoin competition and market segmentationThe bank consortium aims to serve internal settlements among member banks and large corporate clients, offering direct interbank payments and coordinated audits. However, this focus overlaps with use cases already targeted by established, regulated crypto-native stablecoins such as RLUSD from Ripple and USDC.

By September 2026, RLUSD’s market capitalization rose above $2 billion, with over $1 billion of the asset issued on the XRP Ledger. In June, Japanese financial authorities officially approved RLUSD trading on the SBI VC Trade exchange.

StablecoinIssuerTarget UsersMarket CapitalizationRegulatory StatusBanking consortium USD stablecoinGoldman Sachs, MUFG and partnersInterbank, large corporatesN/A (to be launched)Planned for 2027RLUSDRippleOpen fintech, retail, DeFi$2 billion (Sep 2026)Approved by JFSA (June)The overlap in objectives could drive market segmentation. Banking tokens concentrate on closed-loop, highly auditable transactions between consortium members, while regulated open-market stablecoins like RLUSD and USDC remain active in fintech, retail, and decentralized finance sectors, where fast and flexible implementation is important.

Yoshikawa noted that alliances with as many as 21 major participants often struggle to achieve timely consensus and effective governance, giving independent stablecoins a practical time advantage as the banking network works to finalize its rules for a 2027 launch.

Nate Geraci, an influential figure in the ETF analysis space, highlighted a shift in Washington’s cryptocurrency debate this week. The central issue for policymakers, he noted, has moved beyond whether digital assets will enter the financial mainstream, focusing instead on how their integration will be structured. For XRP, the digital asset developed by Ripple Labs for global payments, these regulatory nuances are especially significant due to its complex legal journey in the United States.

Debate shifts toward system architectureEchoing Kristin Smith, President of the Solana Policy Institute, Geraci explained that current regulatory discussions now revolve around constructing the architecture for crypto’s potential coexistence or integration with established financial systems. This shift comes as the CLARITY Act nears a decisive Senate procedural vote on Sept. 15, while federal bodies continue updating crypto rules even before formal legislative decisions are made.

This two-track strategy stands out for XRP because of its unique progression through the U.S. regulatory landscape compared to many other digital assets.

Geraci summarized: Policymakers are no longer fixated on whether crypto should become a part of traditional finance. Attention is now on the framework that will govern its role in the system.

Impact of court decisions and legislative provisionsRipple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission put an end to their respective appeals in August 2025, establishing the district court’s final judgment as authoritative. District Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Ripple’s programmatic sales of XRP did not constitute unregistered securities transactions, although certain institutional sales did fall under existing securities law.

A crucial discussion point for XRP is the proposed Section 105 in the Senate’s draft legislation. If adopted, this provision would restrict the SEC’s jurisdiction when a non-appealable U.S. court judgment, pre-dating the law, determines a digital asset is not a security.

However, legal analysts caution that the impact of this clause has limits. Judge Torres’s findings applied specifically to certain types of XRP transactions, rather than issuing a blanket determination for all sales of the token. As a result, debates about the security status of XRP continue and remain closely tied to the specific circumstances of each transaction.

This uncertainty keeps the institutional infrastructure question at the forefront of the discussion regarding XRP’s place in regulated markets.

SEC proposals and technological integrationOn Sept. 1, the SEC introduced its first significant update in decades to transfer-agent regulations, specifically acknowledging the role of blockchain technology in securities offerings and share transfers. Transfer agents manage crucial elements of U.S. securities settlement and ownership, positioning them at the center of market operations.

Coinpaper analyzed the intersection of these proposed blockchain-focused transfer-agent rules with both Ripple and the XRP Ledger’s expanding tokenization infrastructure.

For Ripple and the XRP Ledger, these developments align with ongoing efforts to expand into tokenization, institutional custody, stablecoin strategies, and broader financial infrastructure. XRP-linked investment vehicles, such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), are also becoming more common within regulated finance circles.

Mini dictionary: Transfer agents, in finance, are responsible for maintaining records of investors and facilitating securities transfers, settlements, and ownership changes for corporations and funds.

EventDateXRP ImpactProgrammatic sales not securitiesDistrict Court, 2025FavorableSEC transfer-agent rule proposalSept. 1, 2025Expands blockchain recognitionXRP price movementSept. 3, 2025$1.32 (down 2%)XRP market response and outlookRipple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has maintained that passing the CLARITY Act could eliminate a significant regulatory obstacle for the XRP ecosystem, paving the way for broader adoption by institutional investors and financial platforms.

Despite these policy developments, the immediate effect on XRP’s market value has been limited. XRP traded at approximately $1.32 on Wednesday, representing a decline of nearly 2% on the day and about 9% from its August 27 level of $1.45.

While policy shifts promise long-term clarity, current market sentiment suggests that traders and investors do not view them as immediate drivers for XRP price action.

Industry participants see Washington’s focus evolving from existential questions of whether crypto belongs in traditional finance, to the logistical challenges of shaping its regulated participation. For XRP, the main regulatory milestone ahead centers on solidifying the structures through which it can function within established U.S. markets, rather than debating its eligibility for access.

Altcoins

2 September 2026 | 09:34 XRP attracted fresh ETF demand while sliding toward the base of its August correction, leaving $1.32 to determine whether the broader recovery remains intact for now.

Key Takeaways XRP ETFs drew $14.38 million September 1. Ripple returned 700 million XRP to escrow. XRP set a post-peak low near $1.32. The descending channel remains intact for now. ETF buyers arrived, but price did not follow US spot XRP ETFs recorded $14.38 million in net inflows on September 1, according to SoSoValue. Franklin’s XRPZ led the session with $6.63 million, followed by $4.72 million for Grayscale’s GXRP.

Cumulative net inflows reached approximately $1.68 billion, while the products’ combined net assets stood at $1.44 billion after the session. The regulated funds therefore continued attracting capital during XRP’s correction.

XRP did not rise alongside the reported inflows, showing that ETF demand had not yet translated into a broader price recovery. The token had gained nearly 70% during its August advance, giving recent buyers a substantial profit cushion and creating one plausible source of selling.

XRP was not declining in isolation. Its pullback extended a wider crypto-market retreat that began on September 1 as higher Treasury yields and renewed concerns about the yen weighed on risk assets. Coindoo’s report on the two macro risks facing the crypto market explains why several large cryptocurrencies moved lower together. That wider pressure makes it difficult to attribute XRP’s decline to events like Ripple’s escrow activity alone.

Ripple’s 1 billion XRP unlock was not a sell order Ripple’s scheduled September escrow release consisted of three transactions containing 500 million, 400 million and 100 million XRP. Later that day, a report citing XRPL transaction data showed the company creating new escrows for 500 million and 200 million tokens, returning 700 million XRP to time-locked accounts.

The sequence left 300 million XRP outside the newly created escrows. That amount became available to Ripple, but no cited transaction shows the entire balance moving to an exchange or entering public-market circulation.

Ripple’s explanation of the escrow system describes the monthly 1 billion XRP release as an upper limit on possible new supply rather than the amount automatically entering circulation. Tokens that remain unused can be placed into new escrows with later release dates.

The $14.38 million ETF inflow also cannot be measured directly against the roughly $405 million nominal value of the 300 million XRP remaining outside escrow at a price of $1.35. The ETF figure represents capital that entered the funds during one trading day. The larger number represents company-controlled inventory that has not been shown entering the public market.

XRP returns to the base of its August range XRP has worked its way lower inside a daily descending channel since its August rally failed near $1.70. Selling volume has remained well below the levels recorded during the advance, so the pullback still lacks the force of a high-volume breakdown.

XRP/USD daily chart showing the descending channel, Fibonacci levels and moving averages. Source: TradingView, Coinbase. The failed breakout discussed in our August 29 analysis has since developed into a steady sequence of lower highs. XRP fell to $1.3265 on September 2 before recovering toward $1.35, marking its lowest price since the August peak. The wick stopped above the channel’s lower trendline, leaving the wider pattern intact.

A daily close below $1.32 would break the base of the measured Fibonacci range and expose the 200-day simple moving average near $1.27. That would deepen the correction, although XRP would remain technically inside its wider descending channel until price also closed beneath the lower trendline.

Buyers face the channel’s upper boundary in the mid-$1.30s. Moving above it would weaken the recent sequence of lower highs, while $1.40-$1.41 provides the first horizontal resistance. A later recovery through $1.47 would return XRP to the middle of its August range.

What would confirm the ETF signal ETF inflows would carry more weight if XRP escaped the channel and recovered $1.41 with stronger trading volume. That combination would show that regulated fund demand was being reinforced by buyers across the wider market, rather than merely offsetting part of the existing selling pressure.

If inflows continued while XRP closed below $1.32, the opposite conclusion would apply: ETF demand would remain too small to stabilize the broader market.

Price still has to confirm the demand September’s data do not support blaming Ripple’s escrow release alone for XRP’s decline. Most of the unlocked tokens returned to escrow, ETFs continued attracting capital and the wider crypto market also moved lower.

Those factors weaken a simple supply-driven explanation, but they do not establish that the correction has ended. Until XRP breaks its descending channel, positive ETF flows remain supporting evidence rather than confirmation of a recovery.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.

Author

Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has put forward its most extensive update of transfer-agent regulations in decades, aiming to bring blockchain-based recordkeeping and tokenized securities into regulatory oversight. This proposed framework marks a shift from rules largely designed during the paper certificate era to one that reflects modern digital practices.

Proposal Targets Blockchain RecordkeepingAnnounced on September 1, the SEC’s plan seeks to update the guidelines and documentation for registered transfer agents. These agents are responsible for maintaining official securities ownership records and overseeing the issuance, transfer, and cancellation of securities.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that the overhaul is designed to accommodate operational advancements, including the use of distributed ledger technology in securities offerings and share management. The fact sheet clarifies that the proposal would formally recognize both electronic and blockchain-based records, as well as securities without physical certificates.

Commissioner Hester Peirce has highlighted the growing interest among market participants in the tokenization of shares, urging discussion around whether transfer agent regulations should support on-chain trading of these securities. She suggested that digital-wallet addresses could be considered alongside current shareholder identifiers.

The SEC did not endorse the XRP Ledger or any specific blockchain network. Instead, the proposed rules emphasize technology-neutral requirements, aiming to enable blockchain-native securities operations to function within established market expectations.

Comments on the SEC proposal are open for 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register. The rule remains at the proposal stage and has not been formally adopted.

Mini dictionary: Transfer Agent, a regulated entity that maintains official securities ownership records for companies, processes transfers, cancellations, and the issuance of new securities.

Ripple and Institutional Tokenization EffortsThe timing of the SEC’s proposal is notable for XRP investors, as Ripple continues to expand in institutional tokenization markets. Ripple operates as a payments and enterprise blockchain technology company, and develops the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a decentralized, open-source blockchain for settlement and asset issuance.

Ripple recently announced a partnership with SettleMint to integrate Ripple Custody services with tokenized asset management for regulated institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. This integration supports the complete tokenization cycle, including issuance, compliance, settlement, and servicing for institutional investors.

Earlier initiatives include Aviva Investors’ launch of a tokenized liquidity-fund share class using XRPL, as well as a Ripple, Mastercard, Ondo, and JPMorgan pilot that utilized XRPL for tokenized U.S. Treasury redemption. Ripple has also made investments in ZILO and Licuido to develop infrastructure supporting issuance, transfer agency, and collateral movement.

These steps underline Ripple’s ongoing push to strengthen capital markets infrastructure for digital assets.

XRP Price and Institutional ParticipationDespite the regulatory news, XRP’s price has stayed relatively stable. The cryptocurrency recently traded at $1.38, up 0.3% over the past 24 hours. Its market capitalization was about $86.4 billion, though it remained down 6.4% over the last week.

MetricCurrent ValueChangeXRP Price$1.38+0.3% (24h)XRP Market Cap$86.4 billion-6.4% (7d)Institutional exposure to XRP is growing separately from retail price movements. U.S. spot XRP ETF inflows have reached nearly $1.8 billion, and Goldman Sachs has disclosed approximately $87.4 million in XRP ETF holdings, making it the largest known institutional investor in this category.

XRP Ledger and associated products are advancing in the regulated asset tokenization sector, even as the SEC considers updating its rules to address blockchain-based recordkeeping. The proposed regulatory changes demonstrate an official recognition of market infrastructure shifting toward blockchain technology.

The SEC’s proposal does not assign any special regulatory treatment to XRPL but indicates that core securities recordkeeping and transfer mechanisms in the U.S. may increasingly incorporate blockchain technology. For companies like Ripple and ecosystems supporting regulated tokenized assets, this represents a significant step forward.

TLDR: XRP reserves on Binance dropped from 3.1 billion to 2.6 billion tokens since November 2025. Roughly 500 million XRP left Binance even as the XRP price fell 63% from its 2025 peak level. The launch of spot XRP ETFs in late 2025 may have driven part of the reserve outflow seen. XRP trades near $1.34, consolidating between its 20-week EMA and 50-week EMA resistance levels. XRP reserves on Binance have declined to levels last seen in February 2024, according to on-chain data. Roughly 500 million XRP have left the exchange over the past year.

The outflow persisted even as the XRP price fell from a high of $3.66 to near $1.35, marking a 63% drawdown. Analysts point to long-term accumulation and the launch of spot XRP ETFs as possible drivers behind the shrinking reserves.

Binance XRP Reserves Fall to Multi-Year Low The monthly average of XRP reserves held on Binance has fallen sharply since late 2025. Between November 2025 and today, that average dropped from 3.1 billion to 2.6 billion XRP.

This represents an outflow of roughly 500 million tokens. Analyst Darkfost tracked this movement closely on social media this week.

Darkfost observed that Binance reserves tend to rise during XRP price rebounds. Reserves then decline again during each following retracement, based on the data reviewed.

🗞️ 500 Million XRP Have left Binance as reserves shrink to levels not seen since 2024

While XRP closed the month with a performance of nearly 30%, XRP reserves on Binance continue to decline.

The monthly average of XRP reserves held on Binance has now reached such a low level… pic.twitter.com/Ox9KPwCxPg

— Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) September 1, 2026

This pattern suggests some investors move tokens off exchanges during downturns. It may reflect a growing preference for self-custody among holders.

The reserve decline also lines up with the launch of spot XRP ETFs. Those products debuted in November and December of 2025.

ETF issuers may have needed to acquire XRP on the open market. That buying pressure could account for part of the recorded outflow.

Exchanges also shift reserves based on routine withdrawal and deposit activity. Some of the decline may reflect operational adjustments rather than pure accumulation.

Still, the scale of the movement points to more than short-term noise. Sustained reserve outflows are often viewed as a constructive long-term signal.

XRP Price Tests Support Near Key Moving Averages XRP traded at $1.34 at the time of writing, down 2.85% over the past day. Trading volume reached close to $1.95 billion during that same period.

Source: CoinGecko

The token has also fallen 8.10% over the past seven days. That pullback comes despite XRP posting close to 30% gains for the month.

Trader ChartNerd pointed to two recent rejections at the 50-week EMA near $1.53. That level has served as resistance on recent attempts to move higher.

The 20-week EMA, currently around $1.27, could act as support. A break below $1.36 on lower timeframes may bring that level into play.

Zooming out; after two rejections at the 50 week EMA ($1.53), $XRP's 20 week EMA ($1.27) could also act as a local support floor for if lower timeframe support is lost at $1.36. It's relatively common to crab/compress between these EMA's before a directional break is confirmed.… https://t.co/cc9NXvLkZ7 pic.twitter.com/yDO85KXUBT

— 🇬🇧 ChartNerd 📊 (@ChartNerdTA) September 1, 2026

Price compression between two moving averages often precedes a directional breakout. Traders watching XRP reserves and price action call this pattern fairly common.

XRP appears to be consolidating within this broader range for now. A confirmed move beyond either average would likely draw fresh trader attention.

Falling XRP reserves alongside price consolidation create a mixed near-term picture. Reserve trends tend to carry more weight over longer time horizons than daily swings.

Traders continue watching the $1.27 to $1.53 range for the next signal. How XRP reserves evolve from here may shape sentiment into the next quarter.

Russia’s new cryptocurrency regulations officially took effect on September 1, establishing a formal legal framework for digital assets while enabling their use in international trade settlements. Authorities now permit Russian investors to buy and sell cryptocurrencies through regulated intermediaries, and allow exporters and importers to settle cross-border transactions with digital assets.

Digital assets in Russia’s international tradeRussian exporters and importers are now authorized to use cryptocurrencies as part of foreign trade transactions, giving digital assets a legitimate role in payments involving international counterparties. While these rules expand opportunities for digital asset settlement, domestic payments within Russia using cryptocurrency remain prohibited under the new law.

The Bank of Russia has indicated that cryptocurrencies can serve as instruments for cross-border transactions, but the framework does not specifically reference XRP, Ripple, or the XRP Ledger. There has been no official announcement or evidence that Russian authorities or companies have chosen XRP for settlement purposes. Nevertheless, the Bank of Russia’s acknowledgment means that XRP could theoretically be used if counterparties involved in cross-border trades opt for it.

The regulatory framework grants Russian exporters and importers the legal foundation to use cryptocurrencies for settlements with foreign partners, introducing a wider array of options for cross-border payments.

Structure of Russia’s new cryptocurrency marketThe new regime provides a clearer structure for accessing digital assets. Qualified investors are allowed to buy and sell cryptocurrencies via regulated intermediaries, such as exchanges, brokers, and asset managers. In contrast, non-qualified investors face stricter support limits and must meet additional requirements before participating.

Infrastructure supporting these activities—including exchanges, brokerage platforms, and asset management firms—will also be held to compliance and licensing standards set by the regulation. The law allows a transition period for current market participants to secure appropriate licenses and fulfill the new requirements.

XRP’s position in Russia’s financial ecosystemAlthough XRP is not mentioned in the new regulations, it holds a visible position in the Russian market through regulated derivatives. The Moscow Exchange, the country’s leading securities trading platform, introduced XRP-linked futures earlier this year. These products sit alongside other derivatives tracking the performance of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and additional cryptocurrencies.

Unlike spot cryptocurrency purchases, these futures contracts do not involve direct ownership of XRP; rather, they allow investors to gain exposure to price movements tied to XRP through regulated instruments.

The listing of XRP-linked futures offers the asset a degree of visibility within Russia’s traditional financial infrastructure, even before the expanded digital asset regime went into effect.

This market presence differentiates XRP from cryptocurrencies with no regulated exposure in Russia. The asset’s original design as a bridge for international settlement may gain additional relevance now that Russian law permits cryptocurrencies in foreign trade.

Ripple, the US-based fintech firm behind XRP, has promoted the token as an efficient solution for transferring value between currencies, without the need for banks and institutions to maintain large reserves in multiple markets.

Although Russia’s new legal framework could potentially enable this use case for XRP, there is no current evidence that banks, exporters, or government agencies in the country intend to deploy the token under the updated rules. Any moves toward adoption will ultimately depend on the decisions of Russian companies, financial institutions, and their international counterparts.

There is no indication that the Russian legal changes amount to an official adoption of XRP, but the regulatory shift increases the number of occasions when cryptocurrencies may legally be used for cross-border payments.

For XRP, the introduction of Russia’s new framework sets the stage for possible increased relevance in international settlement, but actual adoption will depend on the choices of market participants.

Ripple is preparing the XRP Ledger for a future quantum-computing threat, even as trader flags near-term downside risk for XRP (CRYPTO: XRP).

Four-Stage Roadmap For Q-DayRipple Senior Director of Engineering Ayo Akinyele told CoinDesk that the company is preparing the XRP Ledger for potential quantum-computing threats before the technology becomes powerful enough to break current cryptographic protections.

A sufficiently advanced quantum computer could theoretically derive private keys from publicly available information, potentially putting blockchain assets at risk.

Researchers call this scenario "Q-Day."

Ripple’s four-stage roadmap starts with identifying vulnerabilities and testing quantum-resistant cryptography before eventually running existing and new security systems in parallel and migrating the broader network.

Trending

The plan also includes an emergency upgrade path if quantum computing advances faster than expected.

XRP Ledger already allows users to replace account keys without changing the underlying account. Network-wide changes would still require coordination among independent validators.

XRP’s Rejection At $1.55In an X post on Aug. 31, crypto trader Crypto Patel said XRP rejected the $1.55 resistance after briefly sweeping liquidity above the level, followed by aggressive selling that sent prices nearly 20% lower.

Patel said XRP has not yet confirmed a bullish breakout and needs weekly acceptance above its recent high.

If resistance holds, the trader sees $0.90 to $0.70 as the next major downside zone. Longer term, Patel still sees $10 as possible.

Over the past month, XRP has gained 30%, despite falling 8% over the past seven days.

Image: Shutterstock

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Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XLM) are showing signs of recovery on Tuesday after rebounding slightly the previous day, following double-digit corrections last week. Moreover, XRP continues to attract Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) inflows and Stellar’s Real-World Assets (RWAs) ecosystem has surpassed $4 billion. These developments indicate growing institutional interest and could provide fresh fundamental support for a recovery in both altcoins.

XRP institutional demand shows signs of strengthInstitutional demand for XRP has remained strong. SoSoValue data showed spot ETFs recorded a $5.64 million inflow on Monday, marking 10 consecutive days of positive flows since August 18. Moreover, net weekly inflows last week exceeded $110 million, the highest weekly flows since early December 2025. If these inflows continue and intensify, XRP could support gains ahead.

Total XRP spot ETF net inflow daily chart. Source: SoSoValue

Total XRP spot ETF net inflow weekly chart. Source: SoSoValueXLM RWAs hit $4 billionStellar announced on its X account on Monday that Real-World Assets (RWAs) on its network have surpassed $4 billion. This highlights the rapid expansion of Stellar’s RWA ecosystem and supports a bullish long-term outlook for XLM.

XRP technical outlook: Key 200-day EMA holds strongXRP price trades at $1.37 on Tuesday, maintaining a bullish near-term bias as it remains above key Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs). The 200-day EMA at $1.35 underpins the advance together with the 100-day EMA at $1.21 and the 50-day EMA at $1.21, suggesting a constructive underlying trend despite the recent pullback from overbought RSI readings.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has eased to 61 from earlier extreme levels. At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has slipped marginally negative, hinting at waning upside momentum rather than a clear trend reversal as long as price holds over the 200-day EMA.

On the topside, the next significant barrier is the horizontal resistance at $1.90, where fresh supply could emerge if the rally extends. 

On the downside, immediate support sits around the current consolidation area, backed by the 200-day EMA at $1.35, followed by the horizontal floor at $1.30. Deeper setbacks would expose the broader demand zone defined by the 100-day and 50-day EMAs clustered near $1.21, ahead of the more distant structural support at $1.00.

XRP/USDT daily chartXLM technical outlook: Near key resistance zoneXLM price trades at $0.1776 on Tuesday, capped by a dense cluster of EMAs just overhead, which keeps the near-term bias bearish. XLM price is marginally below the 50-day EMA at $0.1778, with the 100-day and 200-day EMAs higher at $0.1797 and $0.1890, respectively, suggesting rallies remain vulnerable while these levels hold as resistance.

The RSI hovers around 50, hinting at a loss of upside momentum, while the MACD has slipped back below the zero line, reinforcing the idea of a fading bullish phase and scope for further consolidation or downside.

On the downside, immediate support is seen at the nearby horizontal level at $0.1774, which forms a tight pivot zone around the current price, before a more distant structural floor emerges at $0.1420.

On the topside, initial resistance is given by the 50-day EMA at $0.1778, followed by the 100-day EMA at $0.1797 and the 200-day EMA at $0.1890; only a sustained break above this moving-average stack would ease bearish pressure and open the way for a more constructive recovery phase.

XLM/USDT daily chart(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

XRP price traded near $1.36 on Aug. 31 after falling roughly 7% over seven days, as fading momentum and leveraged position unwinding offset record weekly demand from U.S. spot exchange-traded funds.

Summary

XRP price retreated from $1.48 to $1.36 but remained above its 4-hour Supertrend support at $1.341. U.S. spot XRP ETFs attracted $110.49 million during their strongest inflow week of 2026. CoinGlass data shows major liquidation concentrations near $1.35, $1.38, and between $1.44 and $1.50. A break below $1.34 could expose $1.28, while reclaiming $1.40 would improve the recovery setup. XRP price pulls back 7% after August rally According to data from crypto.news, XRP (XRP) price was trading around $1.36 on Aug. 31 at the time of writing. The token had declined from approximately $1.48 over the previous seven days, leaving it down about 7% for the period.

The pullback followed a rapid recovery from an August low near $0.98. XRP gained more than 30% during the month and briefly reached $1.70 on Aug. 22 before sellers rejected the move. Price then formed a series of lower highs below $1.55, $1.50, and $1.45.

XRP’s 4-hour chart shows that the latest decline brought the token back toward a support area that formed during the initial breakout. The Supertrend indicator remained bullish at $1.341, placing its active support slightly below the market price.

XRP price 4-hour chart — Aug. 31 | Source: crypto.news However, the Awesome Oscillator registered a negative reading of -0.0364. Its histogram also stayed below zero, indicating that short-term bearish momentum had not fully cleared despite XRP’s attempt to stabilize above $1.35.

The combination leaves XRP at a decision point. Holding $1.34–$1.35 would preserve the higher trading range created by the August rally, while a confirmed 4-hour close below it could weaken the remaining bullish structure.

ETF inflows counter XRP derivatives reset U.S. spot XRP ETFs recorded $110.49 million in net inflows during the week ending Aug. 28, according to data from SoSoValue. It was their strongest weekly result of 2026.

The funds held about $1.44 billion in net assets after the inflows, while cumulative net inflows reached approximately $1.66 billion. The demand created a contrast between institutional fund flows and XRP’s falling market price.

Derivatives traders took a more defensive position. Aggregate XRP futures open interest had climbed to approximately $2.73 billion earlier in August, its highest level since October, as leveraged traders positioned for a larger move.

Price and open interest later declined together as XRP retreated from the $1.48–$1.50 resistance zone. Such a combination generally points to traders closing existing positions rather than building an aggressive new short position, although open-interest changes alone cannot identify every trader’s direction.

The reset reduced some of the leverage accumulated during the rally. It did not, however, produce enough spot buying to return XRP above $1.40 before the end of the month.

XRP liquidation map identifies the next price magnets The one-week CoinGlass liquidation heatmap places the largest nearby liquidity concentrations around $1.35 and $1.38. XRP tested both areas during the Aug. 31 decline and was trading between them when the chart was captured.

XRP liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass A concentrated band around $1.35 could attract further price movement if sellers retest the weekly low. Losing that level would place the next visible liquidity pockets near $1.33 and $1.30.

Liquidity also remains stacked above the market. The first meaningful overhead cluster appears near $1.40–$1.42, followed by a broader concentration between $1.44 and $1.45. Larger liquidation bands extend toward $1.48–$1.50.

Those zones could accelerate a rebound if XRP moves higher and forces leveraged short positions to close. They can also act as resistance because traders may use the same levels to exit positions.

The daily chart provides a more constructive signal. Chaikin Money Flow stood at 0.09, keeping the indicator above zero and pointing to net buying pressure over its 20-day measurement period. The positive reading suggests capital has not fully left the market despite the weekly price decline.

XRP price daily chart — Aug. 31 | Source: crypto.news XRP nevertheless remained close to the daily Murrey Math pivot near $1.40. A daily recovery above that level would open a path toward $1.50 and the chart’s $1.60 resistance. Failure to reclaim it would leave the token exposed to another test of the lower trading range.

XRP support at $1.28 becomes the main downside test Chart analyst ChartNerd said XRP had failed to reclaim its 50-week exponential moving average for a second consecutive week. The analyst placed that average near $1.53 and identified the 20-week EMA around $1.27 as the next short-term support floor.

The weekly rejection adds weight to the $1.48–$1.53 resistance range. A break above the zone would invalidate the present series of lower highs and allow buyers to target $1.60, followed by the August wick near $1.70.

On the downside, the 4-hour Supertrend at $1.341 offers the first line of support. A decisive break could send XRP toward $1.30 and the weekly 20 EMA near $1.27–$1.28. The bullish August recovery would become more vulnerable if the price closes below that moving average.

Ripple’s scheduled escrow release adds another short-term consideration. The company’s monthly system is set to unlock 1 billion XRP on Sept. 1, although Ripple has historically returned a large share of the released tokens to escrow. The scheduled release does not mean the full amount will enter the open market at once.

CLARITY Act vote adds a US policy catalyst The U.S. Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on the CLARITY Act on Sept. 15. The vote would test whether supporters can secure the 60 votes required to advance the market-structure legislation.

The vote is not final passage, and no signed law is scheduled for Sept. 15. Its outcome could still affect sentiment toward U.S.-traded digital assets because the proposal seeks to clarify federal oversight of crypto markets.

For XRP, the immediate technical range remains more important. Buyers must protect $1.34–$1.35 and reclaim $1.40 to shift short-term momentum. Losing the lower boundary would increase the risk of a deeper correction toward $1.28, while a move above $1.50 would put the August recovery back in control.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

The XRP Ledger is moving beyond payments and token transfers as Clearpool, Ripple, and Cicada work on a new institutional lending market. The project could bring corporate credit onto XRPL, with loans settled in RLUSD.

Vet, the XRPL Foundation community lead and dUNL validator, says institutional “lending is coming.”

But can institutional lending also create new utility and demand for XRP, XRPL?

Clearpool Builds Credit Market With Ripple and CicadaIn a recent announcement on X, Clearpool said it is building the credit infrastructure using XRPL’s XLS-65 Single Asset Vaults and XLS-66 Lending Protocol.

Clearpool said that it;

“Institutions were never missing on-chain yield. They were missing a venue built for credit.

Therefore, its new project with Ripple and Cicada aims to address that gap by building lending infrastructure directly on XRPL.

Most on-chain credit runs on smart contracts: flexible, composable, battle-tested. XRPL takes a different path, lending as a native ledger primitive.

XLS-65 (Single Asset Vault) and XLS-66 (Lending Protocol) build the vault and the loan into the ledger itself. pic.twitter.com/WOL6HCGss7

— Clearpool (@ClearpoolFin) August 31, 2026 Cicada will handle borrower’s financial position, cash flows, and credit history before determining how much they can borrow and what rate they should pay. Borrowers and lenders will also need to pass KYC and AML checks.

Meanwhile, Ripple will provide the XRPL and RLUSD for loan payments and settlements. Ripple will also participate as a liquidity provider.

The goal is to create lending pools where vetted businesses can borrow RLUSD from institutional lenders and repay the loans with interest. 

However, these features are not live on XRPL Mainnet yet. 

Could Lending Increase XRP Utility?The immediate benefit is expected to go into XRPL, but it may also create some additional demand for XRP. Clearpool’s lending platform is expected to connect with XRPL’s native AMM, giving institutions a way to move between RLUSD and other assets.

For example, market makers providing liquidity to XRP/RLUSD pools would need to hold both XRP and RLUSD. This could increase the use of XRP within the lending ecosystem and potentially reduce some XRP from the freely traded supply.

The XRP Ledger also burns 100% of its transaction fees. Every transaction requires a small fee in XRP, and that XRP is permanently removed from circulation.

XRPL Network Activity Continues to BoomThe XRPL network is already processing around 1.09 million transactions per day, although activity has recently fallen by 42.7% from earlier monthly levels.

At the current rate, about 117.83 XRP is burned daily, while the ledger has burned around 7,680.43 XRP over the past 30 days.

These numbers show that XRPL already has strong network activity and a built-in XRP burn mechanism. However, the planned lending market is still under development, so it is too early to say how much additional XRP demand it could create.

For now, the key development is that institutional credit is being built directly around XRPL’s native features, potentially giving the network another major financial use case.

Story Ends Here

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Three changes just hit the 21Shares Ethereum ETF and its four sister funds for Bitcoin, XRP, Dogecoin, and Polkadot. New SEC filings show new fund names, a new pricing source, and a new fee schedule.

Holders keep the same shares. Behind the label, however, the products start working differently on Thursday.

The three changes hitting 21Shares’ five US crypto funds this week. Source: BeInCryptoStaking Moves Into the Ethereum ETF’s NameStart with the names. On August 25, 21Shares renamed two funds in Delaware. The 21Shares Ethereum ETF became the 21Shares Ethereum Staking ETF. The Polkadot (DOT) fund became the 21Shares Polkadot Staking ETF. Five 8-K filings published this week confirmed the changes.

Not every fund got a new name. The Bitcoin (BTC) fund, run with Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest, stays ARKB. The XRP and Dogecoin (DOGE) funds keep their names too.

The Ethereum fund has staked its ether since earlier this year and publishes a reward schedule. So the rename changes the label, not the machine. Yield is now the headline feature, written into the product’s legal name.

That label matters because the yield race is crowding fast. BlackRock launched a separate staked fund, ETHB, on February 18. Its original spot fund, ETHA, still does not stake. Fidelity went further on August 10. It filed to stake FETH’s ether and pay holders quarterly cash. Investors keep 85% of those rewards, while fees take the rest.

Big money has noticed. Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest bank, cut its Bitcoin fund stake by 94% last quarter and tripled its staked-Ethereum position. Recent flow data tells the same story. Buyers are chasing yield over price.

New FTSE Pricing and Quarterly Fees Land ThursdayThe second change is the price feed. From Thursday, August 27, all five funds will value shares using FTSE indices. FTSE Russell is the London Stock Exchange Group arm behind the Russell 2000.

The switch follows 21Shares ending its CF Benchmarks license. Those CME-branded rates expire for the funds on August 31.

That is a quiet break from an industry standard. CF Benchmarks’ rates still anchor IBIT, BlackRock’s giant Bitcoin fund. Even ETHB, BlackRock’s staked fund, prices against a CME CF rate. The benchmark sets each fund’s daily net asset value, so the switch touches every holder’s statement.

The third change is fees. 21Shares will now collect its sponsor fee at least quarterly instead of weekly. Payment stays in coins, from Bitcoin to DOT.

One caution belongs next to the shiny new names. Staked ether can take weeks to exit a crowded withdrawal queue, a gap raised around Morgan Stanley’s Ethereum ETP. Thursday’s flows will show whether yield on the label wins the money.

TLDR Table of Contents

Mastercard will sponsor the XRP Ledger Hackathon on October 24–25, ahead of Ripple Swell 2026. The hackathon will focus on building payment-related projects using the XRP Ledger network. Mastercard has expanded its crypto partnerships this year, including work involving Ripple, Circle, Binance, Gemini, PayPal, and Paxos. 21Shares changed the pricing benchmark for its XRP ETF, TOXR, from CME Group to the FTSE XRP Index. TOXR’s sponsor fee will now be paid quarterly instead of weekly, with payment made in XRP. Spot XRP ETFs recorded $13.82 million, about $24 million, and more than $28 million in daily inflows this week. The XRP Ledger (XRPL) is gaining fresh attention ahead of Ripple Swell 2026 after Mastercard joined an upcoming developer event. The move comes as 21Shares also changed how its XRP ETF tracks the token.

Both developments arrive as U.S. spot XRP ETFs continue to record new inflows. The activity links payment industry interest with growing demand for regulated XRP investment products.

Mastercard Backs XRP Ledger Hackathon The XRP Ledger Foundation said Mastercard will sponsor the XRP Ledger Hackathon on October 24 and 25. The 36-hour event will take place just before Ripple Swell 2026, which runs from October 27 to October 29.

Developers will build payment-focused projects and meet companies working with the network. The foundation said the XRP Ledger offers a tested structure for payment use cases and invited developers to register for the event.

Mastercard has expanded its work with crypto companies during 2026. In March, the payments company joined a program with Binance, Gemini, PayPal, Paxos, Circle, and Ripple to connect blockchain services with its global payments network.

The company widened that effort in June by adding support for more blockchain-based assets. Those additions included Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and Circle’s USDC, extending Mastercard’s role across digital payment infrastructure.

21Shares Changes XRP ETF Pricing A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed that 21Shares changed the pricing benchmark for its XRP ETF, TOXR. The fund moved from CME Group pricing to the FTSE XRP Index, effective August 27.

21Shares also changed how often it pays the fund sponsor. Payments will now occur every three months instead of weekly, and the sponsor will receive the fee in XRP.

Spot XRP ETFs continued to attract capital this week. The funds recorded $13.82 million on Monday, about $24 million on Tuesday, and more than $28 million on Wednesday.

TOXR remains the only XRP ETF with negative cumulative flows at $20.06 million in net outflows. Bitwise’s XRP ETF leads the group with about $575 million in cumulative net inflows. The latest figures show demand remains concentrated among the larger funds in the market.

TLDR: XRP gained 39% since August 18 while Binance exchange reserves stayed nearly flat overall. Long liquidations hit $25.7 million on August 22, the largest single day over the past six months. Funding rates cooled from 0.010 to 0.002 across three sessions as open interest fell 13% from its peak. Total XRP transactions rose 97% to 2.93 million daily, but transfers to exchanges collapsed. XRP traded at $1.396 on August 29, marking a notable shift in market structure. The token sits roughly 39% above the $1.00 level it held through August 18, though still about 8% below its recent high of $1.520 on August 23.

Binance open interest for XRP peaked near $558 million during that session before easing to $483 million. The rally appears driven by derivatives activity rather than exchange supply movement, based on recent on-chain data.

Leverage Fuels the Move While Exchange Supply Stays Quiet Funding rates for XRP averaged 0.006 over the recent stretch, well above the quarterly baseline. The estimated leverage ratio climbed to 0.193, close to the six-month maximum of 0.213. That combination points to derivatives traders, not spot sellers, powering the recent repricing.

Long liquidations rose sharply alongside the rally. They averaged $4.34 million, up 222% week over week. A single session on August 22 saw $25.7 million in long liquidations, the largest of the six-month window.

Source: Cryptoquant

That liquidation spike came on a day when the price closed higher. Rising prices alongside rising long liquidations usually signal crowded positions being cleared within an uptrend. It does not typically signal a reversal against the trend.

Exchange data tells a separate story. Binance inflows averaged 136,319 XRP over the past week, while outflows averaged 298,660 XRP. Both figures are near 2% and 4% of their six-month averages, a sharp drop from typical activity levels.

Deposit addresses on Binance fell to 45, a 91% decline versus the quarterly baseline. The exchange reserve itself barely moved, up just 0.04% week over week to $2.618 billion. Holders appear to be sitting still rather than preparing to sell.

On-Chain Activity Expands as Traders Watch Support Levels Total XRP transactions rose to 2.93 million daily, up 97% versus the quarterly average and near a six-month high. Network usage expanded even as coins avoided exchange-bound transfers. NVT climbed 44% week over week alongside that activity increase.

Funding has already started cooling, dropping from 0.010 to 0.002 across three sessions. Open interest is down 13% from its recent peak. Leverage is unwinding while spot supply continues to stay off exchanges.

This setup has historically preceded one of two outcomes for XRP. Either a base-building phase emerges once positioning normalizes, or a faster retracement follows if exchange reserves begin climbing again. The direction likely depends on which side dominates first.

Retail sentiment on social platforms reflects a similar wait-and-see posture. Analyst Diana (@InvestWithD) pointed to the $1.38 area as a key Fibonacci support zone tied to a broader Elliott Wave count.

🚨 $XRP IS SITTING DIRECTLY ON THE ~$1.38 SUPPORT — AND THE NEXT ELLIOTT WAVE TARGETS POINT TO $1.88 → $4.11 → $7.07 🤯🔥$XRP has pulled back from its recent ~$1.70 spike and is now trading around $1.40, almost exactly where the chart identifies the $1.3798 Fibonacci support.… https://t.co/K8h3rOXLuB pic.twitter.com/b53dav8qgv

— Diana (@InvestWithD) August 30, 2026

The post noted that a 4-hour RSI reading near 47.5 had moved back above its signal line, suggesting early momentum shifts near support rather than during an overbought run.

Price action around that support level may determine whether XRP builds a new base or slips toward lower levels in the sessions ahead. Traders appear to be watching exchange reserve trends closely for the next signal.

Ripple has advanced further into traditional finance with a $275 million private bond sale conducted by Ripple Prime, as reported by crypto researcher BankXRP. This move signals Ripple’s increasing integration with institutional capital markets and sheds light on the company’s evolving brokerage operations.

Ripple Prime’s $275 Million Bond IssuanceBankXRP shared that Ripple Prime, which was formerly known as Hidden Road before Ripple’s $1.25 billion acquisition, completed the bond sale with an annual coupon rate of 8.25% and a maturity set for 2031. The researcher noted that Kroll assigned the firm a BBB credit rating, representing the first time a crypto-owned broker-dealer has achieved investment-grade status.

The financing allows Ripple Prime to access debt capital while developing its credit profile. A Bloomberg screenshot linked to the discussions identified Ripple Prime CIV US BD Holdco LLC as a special purpose entity responsible for issuing debt securities. According to the entity’s description, the proceeds will be used to refinance existing credit facilities, support future acquisitions, and manage outstanding debt.

BankXRP emphasized the BBB rating from Kroll, describing it as a milestone for crypto companies making inroads into institutional finance. The business structure and bond terms underscore Ripple Prime’s growing connections to traditional debt markets while maintaining its activity within the digital asset sector.

The reported $275 million bond sale by Ripple Prime, with an 8.25% coupon and BBB rating from Kroll, marks the first investment-grade classification for a broker-dealer owned by a crypto company.

Key Terms: 8.25% Coupon, 2031 Maturity, BBB RatingThe 8.25% coupon reflects the annual interest rate investors will receive on the bonds, while the maturity date of 2031 sets the horizon for repayment of principal. These terms are regarded as evidence of Ripple Prime’s entry into conventional fixed-income markets while retaining a foundation in digital assets.

The BBB rating has attracted particular interest from analysts and the crypto community. Blue highlighted questions over whether Ripple Prime required the entire $275 million immediately or if securing a credit rating was equally important for the company’s strategic development. The investment-grade rating is seen as a step that could encourage further participation from institutional investors in the sector.

Lily Lam commented on the implications of obtaining a BBB rating, noting its importance for the credibility of crypto broker-dealers, but also expressed concern about the cost of financing at an 8.25% rate extending to 2031. She further questioned whether Ripple Prime would release detailed financial statements, pointing to broader transparency expectations among investors.

Questions remain over Ripple Prime’s future financial disclosure and whether establishing a robust credit rating will translate into additional transparency for stakeholders.

Market Context and Digital Asset Platform ToolsThe activity surrounding Ripple’s bond issuance has occurred in a market environment where sudden moves, such as shifts in Fed policy or new altcoin listings, can alter investor sentiment in seconds. As trading decisions must often be made in real-time, many investors are moving toward unified portfolio management solutions. Smart traders now rely on privacy-focused platforms like CryptoAppsy, which combine real-time charts, automated alerts, curated news, and crucial macroeconomic data onto a single interface—without requiring users to create an account.

Ripple Prime’s recent capital raise, in parallel to broader trends toward institutional-grade infrastructure, highlights both the maturation of crypto companies and the increasing importance of efficient decision-making tools for investors navigating volatile markets.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Ripple (XRP) surged more than 72% in less than a week, its strongest rally since July 2025, as cryptocurrency prices broadly broke out. But the move has a problem: it may have little to do with XRP itself.

The token's near-term rally appears to have been driven largely by a broader liquidity shift after the US Treasury expanded long-end bond buybacks, pulling yields lower and lifting risk assets. XRP, with more beta than Bitcoin, was one of the biggest beneficiaries.

That leaves XRP at a critical point. The token is holding near $1.50 after touching $1.70, but the rally alone doesn’t confirm that the long-awaited bottom is in. A sustained move above $2.00 would strengthen the case for a structural recovery, while failure to hold recent gains could expose XRP to another correction.

"XRP's near-term path is likely to keep tracking the broader altcoin complex rather than break out on a story of its own. This week's rally has a macro root – the Treasury's move to expand long-end bond buybacks pushed yields down and lifted risk assets broadly, and altcoins simply carry more beta to that kind of liquidity injection than Bitcoin does," Iliya Kalchev, Nexo Dispatch Analyst, highlighted in an exclusive comment to FXStreet.

Ripple ecosystem expansionRipple continues to make headlines with its global regulatory and partnership milestones, backed by the deployment of approximately $4 billion in strategic capital.

The blockchain company has strategically developed a robust ecosystem by acquiring prime brokerage capabilities, modern treasury management systems (TMS), instant stablecoin payments infrastructure, and institutional-grade custody solutions.

In late October 2025, Ripple executed a series of strategic acquisitions: Hidden Road ($1.25 billion, rebranded as Ripple Prime), GTreasury ($1 billion), and Rail ($200 million), further strengthening its institutional offering. Other acquisitions include Metaco, Palisade and Standard Custody & Rail.

Concurrently, Ripple secured more than 60 regulatory licenses and permits worldwide, achieving milestone approvals in the Europe Union’s (EU) Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Luxembourg’s Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license approved by the country’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) as well as other compliance licenses in the Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East and Africa regions, as stated in various press releases and policy briefings.

"However, investors should stop treating every Ripple acquisition, license or partnership as automatically bullish for XRP. The token only captures value when institutions need to hold it, source liquidity through it or use it repeatedly for settlement," Ryan Kirkley, Co-founder & CEO of Global Settlement Network, said in a written comment to FXStreet.

Ripple’s expansion gives XRP more opportunities to prove its utility. It does not guarantee that utility, and it certainly does not guarantee price appreciation.

Ripple Payments and the shift to multi-asset railsRipple Payments has evolved over the years from the former On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) to a product with a worldwide presence. The platform offers institutional-grade custody, fiat and stablecoin rails and other digital assets, including Ripple USD (RLUSD) and XRP.

“Ripple’s compliance build-out is substantial and hard to replicate quickly: more than 60 regulatory licenses globally, full MiCA authorization across the entire EU economic bloc, a new Middle East and Africa hub in Dubai, and a cleared US legal case, on top of capital commitments like the $1.25 billion Hidden Road acquisition. That gives XRP a genuine structural advantage a new entrant can’t shortcut overnight,” Kalchev added.

Despite Ripple’s compliance powerhouse, partnerships and acquisition spree, experts appear to differ on whether ecosystem developments translate to utility for XRP and growth in the token’s value.

Dean Chen, Bitunix analyst, sees long-term value in XRP, suggesting partial allocation in portfolios. Still, Chen cautions investors to temper expectations and assess how much value the token can capture from Ripple’s growing ecosystem, given varying global liquidity conditions.

“Ripple’s ecosystem expansion is clearly positive for XRP, but Ripple’s commercial success and XRP’s investment value are not necessarily equivalent. Growth in cross-border payments and institutional adoption can create more use cases for XRP, but the key question is whether that activity translates into sustained demand and effective value capture for the token,” Chen told FXStreet.

Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD, could steal the limelight from XRP, as it appeals to institutional investors looking to avoid crypto-related volatility while offering a regulated platform.

Ripple's ultimate test would be to create a symbiotic relationship between the expanding ecosystem and XRP to ensure long-term growth.

Shawn Young, Chief Analyst at MEXC Research, told FXStreet that “If that growth leads banks and liquidity providers to hold and use more XRP, the token has a much stronger case. If most of it runs through RLUSD, other stablecoins, or infrastructure that barely touches XRP, investors should not expect Ripple’s success to automatically show up in the token price.”

XRP outlook improves on renewed on-chain activityA closer examination of activity on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) shows renewed user participation. Addresses that transact on the protocol, either by receiving or sending value, have recently surged, peaking at roughly 305,000 on Sunday, up from around 25,000 on August 1, according to Santiment.

The surge in on-chain activity reinforces an improving fundamental outlook and raises the probability of an extended recovery as demand for XRP gains momentum.

XRP Active Addresses | Source: SantimentStill, the number of addresses joining the network has remained subdued this year. Newly created addresses on the XRPL averaged 475 on Sunday, down from roughly 4,100 on Saturday and 6,600 in late June. This suggests fewer new users are joining the protocol, which could translate to lower demand for XRP and, in turn, limit potential recovery.

XRP Network Growth | Source: SantimentThe amount of XRP balances on known exchanges has declined, averaging 2.61 billion XRP as of Sunday, from 2.63 billion XRP on Saturday. This figure falls significantly below the annual peak of 2.81 billion XRP, recorded in early March.

The correction shows XRP is gradually moving off Binance, as investors choose self-custody platforms for long-term holding. Notably, declining exchange reserves suggest reduced immediate available sell-side supply.

XRP Binance Exchange Reserve | Source: CryptoQuantUS-listed XRP spot Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) have also supported the bullish case, recording six consecutive weeks of inflows and lifting cumulative net inflows to $1.55 billion.

XRP derivatives market coolsThe XRP derivatives market remains significantly elevated compared to levels seen at the beginning of the year. According to CoinGlass, perpetual futures Open Interest (OI) stands at 2.5 billion XRP on Monday, up only marginally from 2.42 billion XRP the previous day. Looking back, OI averaged 1.84 billion on January 1, underscoring growing risk-on sentiment.

XRP Futures OI | Source: CoinGlassStill, investors should temper expectations, as OI has narrowed over the past few days to 2.78 billion as of August 15. A steady increase in futures OI is required to support XRP’s short to medium-term recovery.

After trading volume surged and peaked at $18.53 billion on Saturday, it has moderated to $9.32 billion at the time of writing. This could suggest that investors are gauging prevailing market conditions and whether they can sustain last week’s 72% rally from $1.00 to $1.70. 

Technical outlook: Is XRP’s bullish comeback sustainable?The remittance token's current position around $1.51 holds above notable levels including $1.50 and $1.25, underscoring renewed risk appetite. Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether that rally is sustainable or temporarily driven by liquidity and last week's US Treasury’s open-market buybacks.

The pair holds above the 200-week Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $1.37, supporting a medium-term constructive tone, but it remains capped by the 50-week EMA at $1.55 and the 100-week EMA at $1.60, keeping the near-term bias neutral as those barriers hold overhead.

At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator sits above zero with a positive reading, and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) near 57 suggests moderately bullish momentum, yet these signals only hint at upside potential that would need a weekly close above the clustered EMAs to gain traction.

XRP/USDT weekly chartImmediate resistance lies at the 50-week EMA at $1.55, followed by the 100-week EMA at $1.60, where a break higher would open the way for a more decisive bullish extension. The current price area around $1.50 acts as a pivot, with stronger structural support emerging at the 200-week EMA at $1.37 and then the SuperTrend baseline at $0.96, levels that would be expected to attract buyers on deeper pullbacks while the broader uptrend attempt remains in place.

Still, momentum is stretched, with the RSI hovering in overbought territory near 86 on the daily chart and the MACD above zero, suggesting strong but potentially overextended upside pressure.

XRP/USDT daily chartOn the downside, initial support lies at the 200-day EMA around $1.35, ahead of the SuperTrend zone near $1.25, which marks the next technical floor if a deeper correction unfolds. Below that, the 50-day and 100-day EMAs clustered between $1.14 and $1.18 hint at additional underlying demand, where buyers could look to re-enter if the pair unwinds part of its recent gains.

Ultimately, it is impossible to time a bottom; investors should closely monitor the token and watch for new trends forming from extended sideways action to steady price increases, which could help identify strong support levels. Last week's surge marked XRP's strongest week since July 2025. However, profit-taking remains an overhang risk that could trigger a short-term correction as XRP seeks liquidity before the next breakout. Looking down, the region between $1.00 and $1.25 is a critical support area that will likely continue to absorb selling pressure.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

Ripple FAQs Ripple is a payments company that specializes in cross-border remittance. The company does this by leveraging blockchain technology. RippleNet is a network used for payments transfer created by Ripple Labs Inc. and is open to financial institutions worldwide. The company also leverages the XRP token.

XRP is the native token of the decentralized blockchain XRPLedger. The token is used by Ripple Labs to facilitate transactions on the XRPLedger, helping financial institutions transfer value in a borderless manner. XRP therefore facilitates trustless and instant payments on the XRPLedger chain, helping financial firms save on the cost of transacting worldwide.

XRPLedger is based on a distributed ledger technology and the blockchain using XRP to power transactions. The ledger is different from other blockchains as it has a built-in inflammatory protocol that helps fight spam and distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks. The XRPL is maintained by a peer-to-peer network known as the global XRP Ledger community.

XRP uses the interledger standard. This is a blockchain protocol that aids payments across different networks. For instance, XRP’s blockchain can connect the ledgers of two or more banks. This effectively removes intermediaries and the need for centralization in the system. XRP acts as the native token of the XRPLedger blockchain engineered by Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto and David Schwartz.

XRP gained more than 50% in five trading days, its strongest weekly performance in 21 months, as a Treasury buyback expansion, a White House crypto summit, and aggressive whale accumulation converged on the same narrow window.

Summary

XRP surged from approximately $1.00 on Aug. 18 to a high of $1.6963 on Aug. 22, 2026, a gain of roughly 56% that marks its biggest weekly move since November 2024. The U.S. Treasury doubled long-term bond buyback operations from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per session, triggering a rapid drop in benchmark yields and pushing capital into risk assets across crypto markets. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse attended a White House crypto policy summit on Aug. 19 alongside SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, advancing the CLARITY Act that would classify XRP as a digital commodity under CFTC oversight. Whale addresses holding between 1 million and 10 million XRP accumulated approximately 380 million tokens in one week, pushing tracked holdings from 16.05 billion to 16.36 billion XRP while exchange outflows exceeded 240 million tokens since summer began. Spot XRP ETFs attracted $39.78 million in net inflows for the week ending Aug. 22, bringing cumulative inflows since their November 2025 launch to $1.55 billion across seven approved funds. XRP closed the week of Aug. 18 as the best-performing asset among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, beating Bitcoin by more than 40 percentage points and Ethereum by more than 45. The move was not a single-catalyst spike. It was a compressed sequence of macro, regulatory, and on-chain events that landed in the same five-day window, each one reinforcing the next. Understanding why each catalyst mattered, and why their convergence produced a move of this magnitude, requires looking at the specific mechanics of how they interacted.

The rally also marks the first sustained price advance since the SEC settlement that correlates with improving on-chain metrics rather than pure speculation. For seven months before this week, XRP traded between $0.90 and $1.10 while Ripple’s corporate fundamentals strengthened in the background. The disconnect between token price and business development had become one of the most discussed topics in crypto markets. That gap narrowed sharply over five days.

The Treasury buyback that unlocked the rally The catalyst that set everything in motion arrived on Aug. 19, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an expansion of long-term government bond buyback operations. The size of each buyback would double from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation, starting Sept. 9. The announcement came after the 30-year Treasury yield spiked to its highest level since 2007, a move that had been pressuring risk assets across every market for weeks.

Buying back bonds pulls supply off the market, pushing bond prices up and yields down. The 30-year yield fell to 5.19% within hours. Traders described the dynamic as informal yield curve control, since the buybacks effectively cap how high long-end yields can climb without the Federal Reserve having to intervene directly.

The effect on crypto was immediate. Bitcoin jumped from $62,000 to $69,000 within 48 hours, its biggest weekly gain in two years. But the impact on XRP was disproportionate. More than $3 billion in crypto short positions were liquidated during the surge, and XRP’s lower market capitalization relative to Bitcoin made it more sensitive to the rotation. Leveraged short sellers who had been betting on a continued grind below $1 were forced to cover, and the resulting squeeze amplified the underlying move.

Lower yields make bonds less attractive relative to riskier assets, which frees capital to rotate into high-beta positions. XRP, with its pending regulatory catalysts and recent technical weakness, became the primary beneficiary of that rotation among large-cap altcoins.

The White House summit and the CLARITY Act On the same day the Treasury buyback was announced, a separate catalyst emerged from Washington. The White House hosted a crypto policy summit attended by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, and members of Congress who had co-sponsored the CLARITY Act. President Trump publicly urged Congress to pass the legislation, which would classify XRP and similar tokens as digital commodities under CFTC oversight rather than securities under the SEC.

The CLARITY Act represents the most significant potential shift in U.S. crypto regulation since the Ripple settlement itself. If passed, it would give XRP the same regulatory classification as Bitcoin and Ethereum, removing the last remaining ambiguity about its legal status. The crypto.news analysis of the three conditions for XRP’s recovery identified regulatory clarity as the single most important factor, with 65% of institutional allocators surveyed saying they need this classification before increasing crypto exposure.

The bill faces a Senate procedural vote on Sept. 15. Polymarket prediction contracts currently give it approximately 16% odds of passing, reflecting the difficulty of moving any legislation through Congress in the current political environment. But the market responded to the optics of the summit itself, not the probability of passage. Brad Garlinghouse standing alongside the SEC chairman and the president, discussing a bill that would formalize XRP’s commodity status, sent a signal about the direction of policy that no probability model fully captures.

XRP price jumped roughly 30% in two days following the summit, breaking a year-long downtrend in the process. The move took the token from $1.00 to $1.31 before the additional catalysts pushed it higher.

Whale accumulation and the exchange drain The on-chain data tells a story that started before the price moved. According to crypto.news reporting on whale accumulation, addresses holding between 1 million and 10 million XRP accumulated approximately 380 million tokens over the week of Aug. 18. Total whale holdings rose from roughly 16.05 billion to 16.36 billion XRP, the highest level since the SEC settlement.

The accumulation was not limited to a single cluster of wallets. Whale transactions on the XRP Ledger surged 280% in 24 hours, with 38 large-value transfers exceeding $1 million recorded in a single trading day. The baseline for large-value XRP transactions in July and early August had averaged roughly 10 to 12 per day, making the spike to 38 a clear departure from normal activity.

More telling than the buying itself was the absence of selling. Whale transfers to Binance fell to their lowest level since 2021 during the same period, suggesting that large holders were accumulating and holding rather than flipping for short-term profit. More than 240 million XRP tokens left exchanges since summer began, reducing the available supply on order books and tightening the market.

The wallets involved in the accumulation include a mix of known institutional custodians and unidentified addresses. Analyst Ali Martinez noted that the accumulation pattern resembles the pre-rally positioning seen before XRP’s January 2026 high of $3.40, when whale addresses added similar quantities before the token rallied from $2.00 to its peak.

Ripple’s own escrow activity adds context. In August 2026, Ripple unlocked 1 billion XRP from escrow, valued at approximately $1.08 billion under its monthly program. Despite this regular supply injection, whale accumulation outpaced the new supply reaching the market, a dynamic that had not occurred since early 2025.

Spot ETF inflows and institutional re-engagement The seven U.S. spot XRP ETFs approved since November 2025 had a complicated first year. After a strong launch that saw them accumulate $1.3 billion in assets within two months, inflows collapsed through the summer. Weekly ETF inflows fell 93% to just $1.01 million for the week ending Aug. 8, down from $14.86 million the prior week. JPMorgan had predicted up to $8 billion in year-one inflows. The reality was $1.5 billion across eight months.

The week of Aug. 18 reversed that trajectory. Spot XRP ETFs attracted $39.78 million in net inflows, the strongest weekly pace since May. Bitwise Asset Management, Franklin Templeton, and Grayscale Investments led the buying. Cumulative inflows since launch reached $1.55 billion, with the funds now holding approximately 1.50% of total XRP supply.

The crypto.news coverage of ETF inflows crossing $1.55 billion noted that the timing aligned with a shift in macro sentiment following the Treasury buyback announcement. Institutional buyers who had paused allocations during the yield spike returned as soon as yields dropped, suggesting that the problem with XRP ETFs was never demand for the asset itself but the competing returns available in fixed income.

The ETF structure also matters for price mechanics. Unlike over-the-counter XRP purchases, ETF inflows require the fund to buy XRP on the open market or through authorized participants, creating direct buying pressure on the spot price. When $39 million in weekly inflows meets a market where 240 million tokens have already left exchanges, the price impact is amplified beyond what the dollar figure alone would suggest.

How this rally compares to every post-settlement XRP move XRP has produced four distinct rallies since the SEC settlement was finalized in May 2025. Each one differed in catalyst, duration, peak gain, and retracement depth. Mapping them reveals a pattern that this week’s move both follows and breaks.

Rally one: the settlement itself (May 2025). XRP jumped 42% in three days after the SEC formally withdrew its appeal and Ripple paid the reduced $50 million penalty. The catalyst was purely legal. On-chain accumulation was minimal because the news broke with no advance warning. The retracement was fast: XRP gave back 60% of the gain within two weeks as traders took profit on the news.

Rally two: the ETF approval wave (November 2025). Seven spot XRP ETFs received regulatory clearance, and XRP surged 85% over three weeks. This was the longest sustained move of the cycle, driven by genuine institutional inflows that totaled $483 million in December alone. The retracement was slower but deeper. XRP fell 65% from its January 2026 high of $3.40 to the $1.00 level it occupied before this week’s move.

Rally three: the Ripple Prime announcement (June 2026). Ripple announced conditional approval for a national trust bank charter and raised at a $50 billion valuation. XRP gained 28% in five days. The retracement was almost complete within ten trading sessions, as the market concluded that corporate milestones were not translating into token demand.

Rally four: this week (August 2026). XRP gained 56% in five days, making it the second-largest post-settlement move by magnitude. What distinguishes it from the previous three is the convergence of multiple catalyst types. The settlement rally was legal only. The ETF rally was institutional only. The Ripple Prime rally was corporate only. This week combined macro (Treasury buyback), political (White House summit), on-chain (whale accumulation), and institutional (ETF inflows) catalysts simultaneously.

The convergence matters because it creates feedback loops that single-catalyst rallies cannot sustain. Macro-driven yield drops pull capital into crypto broadly. Political catalysts direct that capital specifically toward XRP. Whale accumulation reduces available supply. ETF inflows create structured buying pressure. Each factor reinforces the others, making the rally more durable than moves driven by a single headline.

Whether this convergence produces a genuinely different outcome from the previous three rallies, all of which eventually retraced, is the central question for XRP holders heading into September.

The overbought signal and what it has meant before The Relative Strength Index on XRP’s daily chart reached 85.4 on Aug. 22, its most overbought reading since July 2025. The last time the RSI crossed 85, XRP retraced 18% within ten trading days. In three of the four previous instances where XRP’s RSI exceeded 80 since the SEC settlement, the token lost at least 15% of its value within two weeks.

The technical picture is further complicated by the death cross that formed earlier in August. The crypto.news analysis of the death cross erasure explained that while XRP’s daily candle closed above both the 50-day and 200-day exponential moving averages for the first time since the bearish crossover, the 50-day EMA remains below the 200-day line. A confirming golden cross has not yet formed.

The distinction matters because three previous breakouts above both moving averages failed to produce a golden cross, each time resulting in a return below the 200-day EMA within five trading days. The current move needs to hold for at least another week before the moving average crossover would confirm a genuine trend change.

A weekend flash crash on Aug. 22 added to the uncertainty. Approximately $500 million in XRP long positions were liquidated in minutes when the price dropped sharply from $1.69 to $1.43 before recovering to the $1.46 to $1.51 range where it traded into Saturday. The event showed how quickly leveraged positions can unwind even in the middle of a strong rally, and it reduced open interest enough to partially reset the overbought condition.

Ripple’s corporate momentum and the token disconnect The irony of XRP’s 2026 performance is that Ripple the company has never been stronger. The SEC case ended with XRP retaining full trading rights in the United States. Seven U.S. spot ETFs launched and now hold nearly a billion dollars in XRP. Ripple secured conditional approval for a national trust bank charter. The company raised at a $50 billion valuation. It spent roughly $4 billion on acquisitions. Most recently, Ripple Prime raised $275 million through a private placement of senior unsecured notes with a BBB rating from KBRA, an 8.25% coupon, and a 2031 maturity date.

Yet XRP the token spent the first seven months of 2026 trading between $0.90 and $1.10 while all of this happened. The crypto.news XRP price prediction page noted the base case of $1.80 to $3.20 by 2030, a range that assumed slow and steady appreciation from the $1.00 level. This week’s move has compressed months of expected appreciation into days.

The token’s disconnect from Ripple’s fundamentals is partly structural. XRP’s supply dynamics differ from tokens like Bitcoin or Ethereum. Ripple holds billions of XRP in escrow and releases them monthly, creating a persistent supply overhang that weighs on price even when demand increases. The monthly escrow release of 1 billion XRP in August alone exceeded the total whale accumulation for the entire week. The net effect on circulating supply depends on how much Ripple returns to escrow, a figure the company reports quarterly but not in real time. In previous months, Ripple has returned between 800 million and 900 million tokens to escrow, meaning the net new supply reaching the market each month is typically between 100 million and 200 million tokens. Even at the lower end of that range, the monthly supply addition partially offsets the accumulation pressure from whale buyers.

Ripple Prime’s integration with EDX Markets and Hyperliquid to expand institutional access to spot, perpetual futures, and decentralized liquidity creates new demand channels that did not exist during the first three post-settlement rallies. Whether these channels can absorb enough supply to offset the escrow releases is one of the structural questions that will determine whether this rally holds.

The CLARITY Act as a binary event The Senate procedural vote on the CLARITY Act scheduled for Sept. 15 creates a binary event risk for XRP that has no parallel in the token’s history. If the bill passes cloture and eventually becomes law, XRP would receive the same commodity classification as Bitcoin and Ethereum, removing the final barrier to full institutional adoption. If it fails, the market would need to reprice the probability of regulatory clarity arriving through legislation versus the current patchwork of court rulings and agency guidance.

The bill’s passage is far from certain. Polymarket gives it approximately 16% odds, and the Senate procedural calendar is crowded. But the White House summit on Aug. 19 moved the conversation from theoretical to operational. The presence of the SEC chairman at a meeting dedicated to advancing the bill suggests coordination between the executive branch and the regulatory agencies that would implement it.

For XRP specifically, the CLARITY Act would resolve the last remaining ambiguity from the Ripple settlement. While courts ruled that XRP traded on secondary markets did not constitute a securities transaction, certain institutional sales remained subject to securities law considerations. The CLARITY Act would eliminate that distinction entirely, making XRP legally identical to Bitcoin for regulatory purposes.

The market appears to be pricing in a higher probability of passage than the prediction markets suggest, or at least pricing in the optionality that the political environment has shifted enough to make some form of regulatory clarity likely within the next 12 months, whether through this specific bill or an alternative path.

https://twitter.com/cryptodotnews/article/2061436021380661610

What to watch The 200-day EMA retest. A daily close below the 200-day exponential moving average within five trading days would repeat the pattern of three previous failed breakouts and signal that the rally was a short squeeze artifact.

Weekly ETF flow data for the week ending Aug. 29. If inflows sustain or accelerate from the $39.78 million recorded this week, it would confirm that institutional demand is genuine and not a one-week reaction to macro headlines.

The Sept. 15 CLARITY Act cloture vote. The vote itself is binary, but the political dynamics in the weeks leading up to it will shape expectations. Watch for co-sponsor additions or withdrawals as a leading indicator.

Exchange reserve levels. If the drawdown of 240 million tokens from exchanges since summer continues or accelerates, it would tighten supply further and support the price. A reversal, with tokens flowing back to exchanges, would suggest whale profit-taking.

The 30-year Treasury yield. The yield fell to 5.19% after the buyback announcement. If it climbs back above 5.50%, the macro tailwind that triggered the rally would weaken, and the rotation into risk assets could reverse.

Why did XRP surge 50% in one week? XRP gained approximately 56% between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22, 2026, driven by a convergence of four factors: the U.S. Treasury doubling bond buyback operations, a White House crypto summit advancing the CLARITY Act, whale accumulation of 380 million tokens in a single week, and $39.78 million in spot ETF inflows. The combination created feedback loops that amplified the move beyond what any single catalyst could produce.

What was the Treasury buyback and why did it affect XRP? Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that long-term bond buyback operations would double from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per session starting Sept. 9. The buybacks pulled supply off the bond market, pushing yields down and freeing capital to rotate into risk assets including crypto. The 30-year yield fell to 5.19% within hours, triggering more than $3 billion in crypto short liquidations.

How much XRP did whales accumulate during the rally? Addresses holding between 1 million and 10 million XRP accumulated approximately 380 million tokens over the week of Aug. 18, according to on-chain tracking data. Total whale holdings rose from 16.05 billion to 16.36 billion XRP. Additionally, whale transactions exceeding $1 million surged 280% in 24 hours, with 38 large-value transfers recorded in a single trading day.

Is the XRP rally sustainable given the overbought RSI? The Relative Strength Index reached 85.4 on Aug. 22, the most overbought reading since July 2025. In three of four previous instances where XRP’s RSI exceeded 80 since the SEC settlement, the token retraced at least 15% within two weeks. However, the convergence of multiple catalyst types in this rally makes direct comparison to single-catalyst moves incomplete.

What is the current status of XRP spot ETFs? Seven U.S. spot XRP ETFs have been trading since November 2025, with issuers including Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, 21Shares, Canary Capital, and Volatility Shares. Cumulative net inflows have reached $1.55 billion, with the funds holding approximately 1.50% of total XRP supply. The week ending Aug. 22 saw $39.78 million in inflows, the strongest weekly pace since May.

What is the CLARITY Act and when is the vote? The CLARITY Act is proposed legislation that would classify XRP and similar tokens as digital commodities under CFTC oversight. A Senate procedural vote is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2026. Polymarket prediction contracts give it approximately 16% odds of passing. If enacted, it would give XRP the same regulatory classification as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

How does this rally compare to previous XRP moves since the SEC settlement? This is the second-largest post-settlement rally by magnitude (56%) and the first to combine macro, political, on-chain, and institutional catalysts simultaneously. The settlement rally (May 2025) was legal only, the ETF wave (November 2025) was institutional only, and the Ripple Prime rally (June 2026) was corporate only. Each previous rally eventually retraced between 60% and 100% of its gains.

What is XRP’s current price and market capitalization? As of Aug. 23, 2026, XRP trades near $1.46 to $1.51, with a total market capitalization of approximately $91.5 billion. It ranks among the top five cryptocurrencies by market cap. The 24-hour trading volume stands at approximately $9.3 billion, reflecting the elevated activity from the weekly surge.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, and past performance does not indicate future results. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions. Published Aug. 23, 2026.

A significant imbalance has developed in the XRP market, as shown by new data from CoinGlass and Bitfinex, despite the spot price remaining above $1.50. The surface stability seen in XRP’s price is masking underlying risks linked to growing leveraged positions.

Sharp increase in margin longsOn Bitfinex, the volume of XRP margin long positions recently broke above 6.41 billion coins. In the most recent trading candle, traders increased their long exposure by over 260 million XRP, highlighting the accelerating use of leverage.

This trend is not limited to a single platform. Major exchanges including Binance are also seeing a rise in leveraged buying activity, with the number of long positions now more than two and a half times the volume of short positions. The balance between speculative bets and traditional investors has tilted heavily toward high-risk exposures.

Mini dictionary: Margin long – A position using borrowed funds to amplify buying power, which increases both the potential for gains and the risk of losses if the market moves against the position.

Short-term traders now dominate XRP markets, pushing daily futures trading volume to nearly 4.5 times the value of actual spot trading. This suggests that leverage, rather than organic demand, is fueling much of the current price action.

According to market data, the buyer side is showing an imbalance of 723%, indicating excessive risk. While short sellers’ risk exposure stands at approximately $2.95 million, the long side faces a much steeper potential loss.

PositionRisk ExposurePotential Liquidation ClusterBuyers (Longs)$24.29 million7.2 times higher than shortsSellers (Shorts)$2.95 millionReferenceIf XRP’s price moves closer to what traders call the “maximum-pain” zone for longs, a cluster worth $24.29 million could be forcibly liquidated, which is over seven times the risk on the short side.

Market instability warningSigns of instability have begun to appear. Over the past 24 hours, approximately $29 million in positions were forcibly closed, with the majority of these losses impacting leveraged longs. With futures liquidity heavily concentrated on Binance, significant selling from large holders in the spot market increases the risk of a liquidation cascade.

During weekend trading, when liquidity tends to be lower, analysts caution that this setup could quickly push the price of XRP toward the margin trap zone near $1 as liquidations cascade across the market.

Speculative leverage now dominates XRP markets, with long positions reaching unprecedented levels and exposing buyers to heightened liquidation risk if prices turn sharply lower.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

TLDR: Ripple CEO says U.S. crypto rules are nearing a turning point as the CLARITY Act heads to a Sept. 15 vote. The Senate’s Sept. 15 cloture vote needs 60 votes to advance debate on the CLARITY Act, not pass the bill. Ripple’s SEC case ended in August 2025 with a $125.04M penalty and restrictions on institutional XRP sales. The SEC and CFTC issued joint crypto guidance in March, while the SEC proposed a broader framework on Aug. 18. The United States has entered a critical phase in its long-running effort to define cryptocurrency rules, according to Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. His assessment followed the CFTC’s inaugural Innovation Advisory Committee meeting on Aug. 20, where regulators, crypto executives, and traditional finance leaders met in Washington.

No August doldrums in DC this week! It was great to join the inaugural @CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee (a group I've called "the Olympic roster of crypto.") But for a “crypto” gathering, there were a LOT of TradFi players in the room like @NASDAQ, @CMEGroup, @CBOE,… pic.twitter.com/T6hjrcK2e8

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) August 22, 2026

The meeting covered digital assets, artificial intelligence, and prediction markets. It also came as Congress prepared for a September procedural test of the CLARITY Act, keeping legislation at the center of the regulatory debate.

Washington Pushes U.S. Crypto Rules Toward a Turning Point Garlinghouse described the CFTC gathering as an “Olympic roster” of industry and financial-market leaders. Members include Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Uniswap Labs CEO Hayden Adams, and Chainlink Labs co-founder Sergey Nazarov.

Executives from Nasdaq, CME Group, Cboe Global Markets, DTCC, and the London Stock Exchange Group also participate, bringing traditional finance deeper into policy discussions. Against that broader institutional backdrop, Garlinghouse said participants largely agreed that older financial rules no longer adequately address modern digital markets.

That consensus also marks a notable shift from Ripple’s position seven years earlier. In July 2019, Garlinghouse and Executive Chairman Chris Larsen urged Congress not to treat every digital currency alike. They also warned that regulatory uncertainty could push jobs and investment overseas. Since then, however, the federal framework has evolved considerably.

That shift became more visible in March, when the SEC and CFTC issued joint guidance covering several crypto asset categories and transactions. The interpretation addressed staking, mining, wrapping, and airdrops while reaffirming that the Howey test remains the controlling legal precedent.

The SEC then proposed a broader framework on Aug. 18. That proposal includes new fundraising exemptions and a possible safe harbor for some digital assets. However, agency rules do not provide the same durability as federal legislation.

Sept. 15 Senate Vote Becomes the Next CLARITY Act Test That legislative focus now shifts to Sept. 15, when the Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on proceeding with H.R. 3633. The measure, formally called the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, represents the next major test for U.S. crypto regulation.

The 2:15 p.m. ET vote would not pass the bill. Instead, it would determine whether the Senate can advance toward debate, with cloture requiring 60 votes. Even if lawmakers clear that procedural hurdle, several disputes remain unresolved.

Negotiations continue over ethics provisions, illicit-finance safeguards, and other market-structure issues. Against that backdrop, President Donald Trump urged Congress on Aug. 19 to pass a “fair version” of the legislation. The bill seeks to clarify when digital assets fall under securities or commodities oversight.

It also aims to define how regulatory authority should be divided between the SEC and CFTC. For Ripple, that distinction carries added significance after years of litigation involving XRP sales. The case formally ended in August 2025 after both sides dismissed their appeals.

However, a $125.04 million civil penalty and an injunction against unregistered institutional sales remained in force. Earlier, the district court ruled that programmatic XRP sales on public exchanges were not unregistered securities offerings. By contrast, certain institutional sales were found to have violated securities laws.

That legal history helps explain Garlinghouse’s continued emphasis on congressional action. Regulators have provided clearer guidance, but a durable nationwide market structure still depends on legislation. As a result, the September vote stands as the clearest near-term test of whether Washington can turn regulatory momentum into lasting federal law.

XRP’s entry into the US Federal Reserve’s instant payment service, FedNow, is taking shape through an established technology provider, Volante Technologies. Crypto researcher SMQKE claimed that Volante’s confirmed Ripple integration may allow participating institutions to utilize XRP for settlement as they connect to FedNow.

Volante bridges Ripple and FedNowVolante acts as an intermediary between financial institutions and major payments networks, including FedNow and The Clearing House’s RTP network. The company’s platform enables banks and payment providers to access multiple networks efficiently, simplifying transactions across otherwise separate rails.

Volante has confirmed that its platform can offer XRP as a settlement option via its direct integration with Ripple’s network. Since October 2015, Volante has maintained this capability, further expanding it in 2016 by incorporating Ripple’s solution into its payments development platform, VolPay Foundation.

Financial institutions using Volante already have the infrastructure to facilitate XRP settlements, putting them in a strategic position as FedNow adoption increases. SMQKE emphasized the significance of Volante’s multi-network approach combined with Ripple integration, as it potentially gives institutions access to XRP-conducted settlements while connecting to FedNow.

Volante’s multi-network status and active Ripple integration put XRP within reach for any institution linking to FedNow through service providers.

Service providers lead connectivityThe 2023 Faster Payments Barometer, which surveyed organizations on their FedNow and RTP connectivity strategies, found that 47% of respondents preferred third-party service providers for connecting. Only 32% planned to link directly to each network.

Deepak Gupta, SVP and Global Head of Payments-as-a-Service at Volante, referenced the 2023 Barometer and explained that third-party providers can “quickly connect institutions to multiple networks,” confirming Volante’s key market role.

This trend is reinforced by the emphasis on interoperability across the payments landscape. According to the same survey, 92% of respondents considered interoperability across systems important. Volante’s model directly addresses this need, especially as it now includes XRP as a supported settlement asset.

The interoperability focus revealed in the 2023 Barometer aligns with Volante’s offering, as its platform supports seamless connections across multiple payment systems and integrates alternative settlement methods like XRP.

Infrastructure enables instant settlementVolante’s integration with Ripple has been active for years, and a Twitter exchange in June 2020 confirmed the platform can use XRP as a settlement mechanism. In partnership with Ripple, Volante enhanced its capabilities to simplify bank connections to Ripple’s real-time cross-border payments network.

This longstanding integration means that institutions routing FedNow or RTP transactions through Volante already have access to XRP settlement, without any additional technical barriers.

Because the payments landscape can shift dramatically with regulatory decisions or new altcoin listings, market participants have started opting for consolidated, privacy-first tools. Modern solutions like CryptoAppsy provide real-time charts, smart alerts, coin-specific news, and macroeconomic data, all in a single dashboard without requiring account setup. This approach helps investors monitor both infrastructure developments and rapid price movements without needing several apps.

SMQKE pointed out that XRP’s connection to FedNow through Volante is neither hypothetical nor pending. The technical link is confirmed and operational, providing immediate access for financial institutions seeking faster and more diverse settlement options.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Cover image via depositphotos.com Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

The price of Zcash (ZEC) has exceeded $814 for the first time in eight years, fully recovering from its June decline to $250 caused by a vulnerability in the Orchard pool. The coin's surge and increase in market capitalization to $13.74 billion were driven by the upcoming listing of the first spot Zcash fund, the Zcash ETF, prompting the community to discuss whether Zcash could eventually "flip" XRP by market capitalization.

Grayscale Investments has already submitted the final documents to the SEC. Trading in the fund under the ticker ZCSH is expected to begin on NYSE Arca on August 25, 2026. The fund holds up to 393,000 ZEC worth more than $260 million, with Coinbase serving as custodian.

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Zcash's surge ahead of its NYSE listing has brought financial privacy back into the spotlight. Mert Mumtaz, CEO of infrastructure company Helius, reiterated his earlier call to "encrypt the money" and publicly pledged to lobby for privacy coins until Zcash regains its status as a top-three asset by market capitalization.

Zcash weekly price chart showing a surge to an 8-year high of $816.81 alongside a supportive post by Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz. Source: TradingViewThe executive emphasized that transaction protection is a basic human right in digital finance, effectively calling the technology the "second amendment of the internet."

Is an XRP "flip" realistic?Following statements from industry leaders, the expert community has begun actively discussing theoretical scenarios in which Zcash and XRP could reach comparable market shares.

The choice of the Ripple-associated token as the main benchmark for a potential "flip" is driven by its status. Historically established among the world's five largest cryptocurrencies, XRP represents the main barrier on the path to the top of the market, behind only Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins.

In addition, both coins now compete in the same traditional finance arena: XRP already has ETF structures trading in the United States, and Zcash is now joining it.

In numerical terms, the difference looks as follows:

XRP has a market capitalization of $93.45 billion at a price of $1.49 per token, driven by the enormous number of coins in circulation.Zcash currently has a market capitalization of $13.74 billion.Due to Zcash's strictly limited supply, if it hypothetically reached XRP's current market capitalization, one ZEC would be worth $5,537.93, representing a 680% increase from current levels. You Might Also Like

Access to the traditional stock market through an ETF listed on NYSE Arca, together with preparations for quantum-resistant network upgrades, has shifted medium-term expectations among major market participants toward $2,500 and above.

Nevertheless, analysts view the scenario in which Zcash could fully "flip" XRP exclusively as a long-term mathematical benchmark. The true depth of institutional demand for Zcash will be determined by ZCSH's trading volumes during the first few days after its listing.