XRP’s short-term setup is facing renewed pressure after a sharp burst of exchange inflows to Binance, with on-chain data showing that the move was driven primarily by large holders. The spike matters because it points to a sudden increase in potential sell-side supply at a time when broader market momentum remains weak.
CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost flagged the move in a post on X today, tying the development to a softer backdrop for altcoins while Bitcoin remains rangebound. “BTC continues to range, offering limited directional clarity in the short term. This lack of momentum is weighing on the broader market, with altcoins continuing to underperform in the absence of a clear trend,” Darkfost wrote.
Are XRP Whales Selling?
That context is important for XRP. In a market with limited follow-through, large exchange deposits can carry more weight than they would during a strong risk-on phase, especially when the flows are concentrated in whale-sized cohorts.
The chart shared by Darkfost, titled “XRP Ledger: Exchange Inflow – Value Bands – Binance,” shows a clear outlier on Feb. 21. Total inflows jump to more than 31 million XRP, far above the surrounding days in the Feb. 15–23 window, with the stacked bars dominated by the 100k–1M XRP and >1M XRP cohorts.
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Darkfost summarized the move directly: “This week was notably marked by a significant XRP inflow to Binance, which remains the go-to exchange for large transactions thanks to its deep liquidity. More than 31 million XRP were transferred to the exchange in a single day yesterday.”
The chart also suggests this was not a broad-based retail event. Smaller cohorts contributed relatively little to the spike, while large holders accounted for nearly all of the move. That pattern aligns with Darkfost’s central argument that the event raises short-term risk because it represents concentrated, potentially market-moving supply arriving at a highly liquid venue.
According to the breakdown shared in the post, the inflows were led by the two largest cohorts: 14,236,825 XRP from wallets in the 100k–1M band and 14,494,865 XRP from whale wallets holding more than 1M XRP. Mid-sized wallets in the 10k–100k range added 2,938,809 XRP, while the sub-10k segments contributed only a small fraction of the total.
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Taken together, the distribution reinforces that the event was whale-led rather than diffuse. In practical terms, that matters because large-holder exchange inflows are often watched as a proxy for potential intent to sell, even if inflow alone does not confirm execution.
Darkfost framed the risk in dollar terms, writing: “Altogether, this represents a sudden potential sell-side pressure of nearly $45 million that warrants close monitoring. Should this selling pressure persist, XRP may struggle to recover from its ongoing correction in the near term.”
The price line overlaid on the chart shows XRP trading lower across much of the same period, sliding from the upper end of the displayed range around Feb. 15–16 before bottoming near Feb. 19 and only modestly rebounding afterward. By the time the large Feb. 21 inflow hit Binance, price had recovered somewhat but remained below earlier levels in the week. However, the rebound was completely erased during the early European morning session, as XRP fell to as low as $1.33.
At press time, XRP traded at $1.3947.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com