XRP Price Forecast: $100B Milestone Meets “Whale Vacuum” as Ripple Prime Opens Coinbase Gate
Right now, the XRP ecosystem shows a clear divide between strong institutional activity and tired retail interest. As of Saturday...
Quick overview
- The XRP ecosystem is experiencing a divide between strong institutional activity and declining retail interest, with XRP trading at $1.37.
- Ripple has achieved a significant milestone by processing over $100 billion in total volume, driven by a surge in institutional transactions.
- Large holders, or whales, have accumulated over 4.18 billion XRP tokens, indicating a shift from retail investors to institutions despite a drop in prices.
- Technical analysis suggests XRP is struggling to maintain its upward trend, with potential support levels at $1.336 and a risk of further declines.
Right now, the XRP ecosystem shows a clear divide between strong institutional activity and tired retail interest. As of Saturday, March 7, 2026, XRP trades around $1.37, down about 2.5% in the past 24 hours as the wider crypto market cools.
Even though XRP’s price is under pressure, Ripple’s business fundamentals have reached a major milestone. This week, Ripple announced its payment system has processed over $100 billion in total volume. The XRP Ledger’s utility phase is now a reality, not just a future goal.
The $100 Billion Milestone: Stablecoin Dominance Begins
Ripple’s network volume is rising quickly because the company is focusing more on regulated stablecoin infrastructure.
- Ripple Payments has now processed over $100 billion, thanks to a fifty-fold increase in institutional volume since 2022.
- Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, is quickly nearing a $1.6 billion market cap. Thanks to the Genius Act, which offers clear federal rules, fintech companies like Alfred and AltPayNet are using RLUSD to connect payment routes between the U.S., Latin America, and China.
- Traditional finance is now joining the XRPL. Aviva Investors has partnered with Ripple to explore turning regular investment funds into tokens, marking Ripple’s first big partnership with a European asset manager.
Ripple Prime: The Institutional “On-Ramp” to Coinbase
Ripple has added Coinbase Derivatives to its Ripple Prime brokerage platform, which gives XRP more liquidity.
- Institutional clients can now trade regulated futures for XRP, BTC, ETH, and SOL through Ripple Prime, with Nodal Clear handling the clearing process.
- Ripple now offers nano-sized contracts, letting smaller institutions manage risk more precisely. This is especially important as volatility from the Middle East affects crypto markets.
The “Whale Vacuum”: 4.18 Billion Tokens Scooped
Even though prices have dropped this year, on-chain data shows a large shift of XRP from retail investors to institutions.
- Large holders, or whales, with wallets holding 10 million to 1 billion XRP, have bought over 4.18 billion tokens (about $6.7 billion) since the October tariff crash.
- Whales are moving billions of XRP into exchanges like Binance, but the exchange supply ratio has dropped. This suggests many tokens are being taken off exchanges and stored for the long term.
- Meanwhile, retail interest has slowed. XRP futures open interest is now $2.33 billion, down from almost $11 billion in July.
XRP/USD Technical Analysis: The $1.37 Pivot in Jeopardy
On the 2-hour chart, XRP is having trouble holding its upward trend after testing higher prices for several weeks. XRP has fallen below the rising trendline that supported its price since late February. The 50 EMA ($1.39) and 100 EMA ($1.41) are both turning downward, making it tough for weak rallies to succeed.
If the $1.336 support level does not hold this weekend, XRP could quickly drop toward the $1.30 to $1.27 demand zone. The RSI is around 42, showing that momentum is fading but not yet oversold. There may still be room for one more drop before XRP finds a bottom.
The Analyst’s Verdict: A “Utility-Price” Divergence
As an analyst, I notice a bigger gap between Ripple’s business growth and XRP’s price. RLUSD and institutional tokenization are good for Ripple, but for now, they are taking away some of XRP’s use as a bridge asset.
Wait to enter aggressive long positions until XRP clearly moves back above $1.415. Watch for a strong bounce at $1.27 as a sign that the major sell-off is ending.
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