Ripple Price: From $1.10 to Recovery as Buyers Re-Enter XRP Market While Adoption Expands

After falling sharply toward the $1.10 region during the broader crypto market correction, XRP has rebounded above $1.40, with improving...

XRP Rebounds From Critical Support as Long-Term Drivers Strengthen

Quick overview

  • XRP has rebounded above $1.40 after a sharp decline to $1.10, supported by improving regulation and institutional adoption.
  • Despite early optimism, XRP faced market-wide pressure, but the recent correction appears to be a structural reset rather than a prolonged bear phase.
  • Key support at the $1.10–$1.15 region has held, indicating potential for a bullish structure if maintained.
  • Growing real-world adoption and a significant drop in exchange-held XRP supply suggest strengthening long-term fundamentals.

Live XRP/USD Chart

XRP/USD
0.0000
MARKETS TREND
TRADE XRP/USD

After falling sharply toward the $1.10 region during the broader crypto market correction, XRP has rebounded above $1.40, with improving regulation, institutional adoption, and tightening supply dynamics suggesting the long-term outlook may be strengthening rather than weakening.

Early Optimism Gives Way to Market-Wide Pressure

XRP entered 2026 with growing optimism as several structural developments improved the token’s long-term outlook. Regulatory clarity continued to advance in key jurisdictions, institutional investment vehicles expanded, and adoption of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for cross-border settlement accelerated. These factors supported a strong rally early in the year, lifting XRP toward the $2.40 region and raising expectations that the asset was finally emerging from a prolonged consolidation period.

However, this optimism soon encountered a broader market shift. Cryptocurrency markets entered a corrective phase as liquidity tightened, risk appetite cooled, and capital rotated away from higher-beta assets. XRP followed the wider market lower, breaking below the $2.00 level and eventually falling toward the $1.10 region.

Despite the magnitude of the decline, price action remained relatively orderly compared with previous crypto drawdowns. Selling pressure was steady rather than disorderly, suggesting consolidation rather than capitulation. This distinction has become increasingly important, as it indicates that the recent correction may represent a structural reset rather than the start of a prolonged bear phase.

XRP Stabilizes After the Late-January Correction

The late-January selloff pushed XRP toward a critical long-term technical zone near $1.10, where the 200-week moving average provided strong support. Buyers stepped in aggressively at that level, triggering a rebound that lifted prices back above $1.40 and signaling early stabilization following the broader crypto downturn.

Ripple Chart Weekly – Threatening to Break the 100 SMA

This successful defense of long-term support suggests that downside momentum has slowed considerably. Volatility has begun to compress, and trading activity indicates that sellers are losing dominance while buyers gradually re-enter the market. Such behavior is often associated with the early stages of base formation rather than the continuation of a sustained downtrend.

The coming weeks will determine whether the recovery can extend further, but the ability of the market to hold major support levels during a period of widespread crypto weakness is an encouraging sign for longer-term participants.

Key Support and Resistance Levels Shape the Near-Term Outlook

Technically, XRP now sits at an important inflection point, with clearly defined support and resistance zones guiding market expectations.

Primary Support:
The $1.10–$1.15 region represents the most important support zone in the current cycle. This area absorbed intense selling pressure during the recent decline and now stands as a well-established demand pocket. Continued defense of this zone preserves the broader bullish structure and reinforces confidence among longer-term investors.

Should this level fail, attention would shift toward deeper macro supports near $1.00 and $0.50, though such a scenario would likely require a significant deterioration in broader crypto market conditions.

Key Resistance:
On the upside, XRP must reclaim the $1.75 level to confirm a more durable trend reversal. A sustained move above this area could open the path toward the $2.00 psychological threshold, followed by potential extensions to $2.50 and eventually $3.00. Until such levels are cleared, the market is likely to remain range-bound, with traders watching for confirmation of the next directional move.

Fundamentals Provide a Counterbalance to Price Weakness

While near-term price action has been volatile, XRP’s fundamental backdrop continues to strengthen. Institutional adoption of XRPL-based payment infrastructure is expanding, particularly among financial institutions seeking faster and lower-cost cross-border settlement solutions. This steady growth in real-world usage provides a structural demand base that did not exist during earlier market cycles.

Speculation surrounding the potential approval of additional regulated XRP investment products, including exchange-traded funds, has also supported longer-term sentiment. Even in the absence of immediate approvals, the increasing integration of XRP into regulated financial frameworks has enhanced its credibility as a long-term digital asset.

Exchange Balances Drop to Multi-Year Lows

One of the most significant structural developments supporting XRP is the sharp decline in tokens held on centralized exchanges. On-chain data indicates that exchange balances fell dramatically during 2025, dropping from roughly 4 billion tokens to approximately 1.5–1.7 billion by year-end. This represents a reduction of nearly 57%, the steepest annual decline in exchange-held XRP supply on record.

Lower exchange balances typically translate into reduced immediate selling pressure and greater sensitivity to incremental demand. Historically, sustained reductions in exchange supply have often preceded trending phases, as fewer tokens remain readily available for liquidation during periods of rising demand.

Institutional Demand Expands Through Investment Products

The gradual expansion of regulated XRP exchange-traded products has introduced another structural demand channel. Spot XRP ETFs now manage roughly $1.5 billion in assets, representing approximately 1.2% of the token’s total market capitalization. At current prices, this suggests that hundreds of millions of XRP have effectively been removed from active circulation through long-term investment vehicles.

Recent data shows that ETF inflows have remained steady, with several weeks recording significant net additions. While XRP’s ETF market remains smaller than those of Bitcoin or Ethereum, its relative underrepresentation could become a source of upside potential if institutional adoption broadens over time.

Regulatory Momentum Strengthens XRP’s Strategic Position

Regulatory progress continues to reshape XRP’s long-term positioning. Ripple has increasingly shifted its focus from legal defense toward global expansion within regulated financial systems. The company has pursued banking and payments licences across multiple jurisdictions, strengthening its integration with traditional financial infrastructure.

In the United States, the pursuit of regulated banking frameworks enhances institutional confidence, while in Europe, progress toward obtaining an Electronic Money Institution licence could enable Ripple to offer regulated payment services across the European Union. These developments reinforce the narrative that XRP is evolving beyond a purely speculative asset into a regulated payments infrastructure layer.

Market Structure Suggests Absorption Rather Than Capitulation

Another notable aspect of XRP’s recent decline has been the relatively controlled nature of the selloff. Trading volume patterns suggest that supply is being absorbed rather than aggressively distributed, with pullbacks attracting steady buying interest. Volatility has remained contained compared with previous crypto downturns, reflecting a market structure increasingly influenced by institutions and long-term investors rather than short-term speculative flows.

Large blockchain transfers observed during consolidation phases further support this interpretation. Significant movements of XRP between wallets—often associated with institutional repositioning—indicate that strategic investors may be accumulating during periods of weakness.

Expanding Real-World Adoption Strengthens Long-Term Demand

Beyond financial markets, XRP’s ecosystem continues to expand into new real-world applications. Cross-border payment solutions remain the primary use case, but additional sectors are beginning to explore XRPL-based settlement systems. Healthcare payment networks, enterprise treasury management platforms, and fintech settlement services are increasingly evaluating blockchain-based rails for faster, more efficient transactions.

These developments contribute to a gradual but meaningful shift in XRP’s demand profile—from predominantly speculative trading activity toward usage-driven demand tied to real economic activity. Over time, this transition could play a key role in stabilizing price dynamics and reducing the amplitude of market cycles.

Outlook: Consolidation May Be Building the Next Phase

XRP’s decline toward the $1.10 region initially appeared to signal a significant deterioration in market sentiment. Yet the rapid stabilization and subsequent rebound above $1.40 suggest that the correction may represent a structural consolidation rather than a lasting trend reversal.

Improving regulatory clarity, expanding institutional participation, tightening exchange supply, and growing real-world adoption all point toward strengthening long-term fundamentals. If these trends persist, the recent pullback may ultimately be remembered as a reset that cleared speculative excess while laying the foundation for a more sustainable advance.

For now, XRP remains in a transitional phase, balancing near-term volatility against improving structural drivers. Should key support levels continue to hold and institutional demand gradually expand, the token’s long-term prospects may prove far stronger than the recent correction initially suggested.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More
Skerdian Meta
Lead Analyst
Skerdian Meta Lead Analyst. Skerdian is a professional Forex trader and a market analyst. He has been actively engaged in market analysis for the past 11 years. Before becoming our head analyst, Skerdian served as a trader and market analyst in Saxo Bank's local branch, Aksioner. Skerdian specialized in experimenting with developing models and hands-on trading. Skerdian has a masters degree in finance and investment.

Related Articles

HFM

HFM rest

Pu Prime

XM

Best Forex Brokers