XRP Price Holds Sideways While ETF Inflows and Whale Buying Rise

TLDR

• XRP price has stayed flat for months while Ripple’s institutional profile has continued to grow.
• Jake Claver said XRP ETFs have reached $1.41 billion in total inflows since launch.
• Claver said XRP whale wallets holding at least 10,000 tokens reached a record high in May.
• Ripple gained more institutional attention after appearing on CNBC’s 2026 Disruptor 50 list.
• Ripple expanded deeper into institutional finance after completing its $1.25 billion Hidden Road acquisition.

XRP price has stayed in a tight range for months, while Ripple’s institutional profile and XRP-linked fund demand have continued to expand.

Jake Claver, chairman of Digital Ascension Group, said in an X thread that XRP’s weak price action has not stopped large investors, ETF buyers, and institutional partners from increasing activity around the asset.

Ripple Gains More Institutional Attention

Claver said Ripple’s appearance on CNBC’s 2026 Disruptor 50 list gave the company stronger visibility among institutional investors. CNBC ranked Ripple at No. 16, making it the only crypto-native company on the list, according to Claver.

In the same thread, Claver also cited Ripple’s position in the top 10 of the Prime Unicorn Index. He said the index valued Ripple above $26 billion. The index tracks major private companies in a structure similar to public-market benchmarks.

According to Claver, these rankings matter because institutional investors and compliance teams often review such lists during due diligence. He argued that Ripple’s position on both lists could help strengthen its standing with professional investors.

XRP ETF Demand Builds Despite Flat Price Action

Claver also said U.S. spot XRP ETFs have gained strong traction since their November 2025 launch. He claimed the funds have become the third-largest crypto ETF category after Bitcoin and Ethereum products.

On May 11, spot XRP ETFs recorded $25.8 million in inflows, according to figures cited by Claver. He said the total was the highest single-day inflow since January 5. Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ fund led the day with $13.6 million, its best inflow day of 2026.

Between May 11 and May 15, XRP ETF inflows reached $60.5 million, according to Claver. He described it as the strongest week of 2026 so far for the category.

Total inflows since launch have reached $1.41 billion, based on Claver’s figures. He also said XRP ETFs crossed $1 billion faster than every crypto ETF category except Bitcoin.

Whale Wallets Increase During Consolidation

At the same time, Claver highlighted a sharp rise in large XRP wallets. He said around 332,230 wallets held at least 10,000 XRP as of May 12, which he described as a record high.

Claver also said wallets holding at least 1 million XRP increased by 42 addresses since the start of 2026. According to him, this was the first rise in that wallet group since September 2025.

Large holders added 1.2 billion XRP during the first quarter of 2026, according to data cited by Claver. He said one wallet added 250 million XRP during the recent consolidation period.

On Binance, Claver said XRP whale outflow dominance rose to 91.4%. He described it as the highest level since 2024.

Ripple Expands Its Finance Infrastructure

Ripple’s $1.25 billion Hidden Road acquisition also remained central to Claver’s argument. He said the deal pushed Ripple deeper into prime brokerage and institutional finance.

After the acquisition, Ripple appeared in DTCC and NSCC broker directories, according to Claver. He said this placed Ripple closer to traditional settlement infrastructure.

Claver also cited Ripple Custody partnerships with Securosys and Figment. He added that Ripple integrated Chainalysis transaction screening tools and continued growing Ripple Payments across more than 60 markets.

Standard Chartered still expects XRP ETFs to attract between $4 billion and $8 billion in 2026 if the proposed CLARITY Act becomes law, according to Claver. He said current ETF inflows remain far below that forecast.

Claver concluded that ETF demand, whale accumulation, and Ripple’s institutional expansion have grown before any major XRP price breakout.

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