XRP Defies Price Drop with 42 New Millionaire Wallets in 2026

Santiment data indicates that XRP whales are accumulating during consolidation even as the price remains below key levels.

XRP has fallen about 4% since the start of 2026, trading around $1.90 on major exchanges, even as on-chain data shows a rise in the number of major holders.

The difference between price and portfolio growth presents a cautious but closely watched setup for the token as investors weigh accumulation signals against weak short-term trends.

The data suggests that while the market price of

Whale portfolios rise as the price stays below the long-term trend

On January 29 Santiment reported that XRP has added a net 42 wallets holding at least one million tokens since the start of the year, the first increase in the number of “millionaires” wallets since September 2025. The analytics firm noted that the price decline remains modest at around 4% over the same period, indicating accumulation rather than distribution among larger addresses.

At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.88, down about 2% in the past 24 hours and about 4% in the past seven days, according to CoinGecko data. On a month-to-month basis, the token is slightly higher, up about 2%, but remains nearly 40% lower than a year ago.

Technical data quoted by Arab Chain placed the Ripple token is about 25% below its 200-day moving average, which is almost $2.50. Risk-adjusted figures also reflect caution. The 30-day Sharpe ratio is close to zero, suggesting that recent returns have provided little compensation for volatility, while the short-term momentum readings point to consolidation rather than a strong change in direction.

This technical picture is consistent with recent commentary from market watchers like XrpArthur, who warned against optimistic price targets circulating on social media, arguing that projections of $13 to $30 ignore macro conditions, liquidity, Federal Reserve policy, Bitcoin dominance, and actual usage on the XRP Ledger.

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ETF flows, regulations and expectations shape the 2026 outlook

Projections shared this week by crypto investment firm 21Shares provided a more measured framework for XRP’s path in 2026. The company outlined a base price near $2.45, a bull case around $2.70 and a bear case closer to $1.60.

The outlook relies heavily on regulatory clarity following the August 2025 settlement of the long-running SEC case, which reopened access for US institutions and regulated funds.

21Shares also pointed to US spot XRP ETFs as a structural source of demand, recording more than $1.3 billion in assets under management within the first month. Still, the company warned that continued inflows, growth in tokenization activity and adoption of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin remain necessary to justify higher valuations.

Recent technical reporting shows XRP trading within a narrow range between $1.80 and $2.00, with analysts keeping an eye on whether the token can regain resistance near $2.00. As it stands now, the proliferation of large portfolios contrasts with a market that remains hesitant, leaving XRP in a holding pattern as 2026 unfolds.