XRP has witnessed an impressive 11% surge over the past week, bringing its trading price to approximately $1.53 as of March 17, 2026. This price movement has enabled XRP to surpass BNB, reclaiming the coveted fourth spot in the cryptocurrency market with a market capitalization of $93.4 billion.
In addition to the price increase, trading volume has experienced a significant surge, jumping by 125% to reach $3.22 billion. This boost came after XRP successfully broke through a resistance level that had constrained its price around $1.40 for weeks, drawing attention and participation from traders across the cryptocurrency marketplace.
Interestingly, this price rally occurs amid a turbulent macroeconomic environment, where Brent crude oil remains stubbornly high at nearly $100 per barrel, largely due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz related to the Iran conflict, now escalating into its third week.
Long-Term Holders Show Resilience
While uncertainty reigns in the broader economic landscape, long-term XRP holders have demonstrated resilience and confidence in the asset by increasing their accumulation rates. Data from Glassnode highlights a remarkable influx of over 351 million XRP tokens accumulated by long-term holders on March 1, reflecting the strongest single-day accumulation seen in months. This spike coincided with the onset of the Iran conflict, underscoring the potential influence of external events on trading behaviors.
This trend of accumulation has persisted, buoyed by sustained net buying as on-chain metrics reached their highest levels since May 2025, a behavior typically associated with recovery phases in the crypto market. Retail interest also appears to be reviving, with XRP futures open interest climbing to $2.66 billion on March 16, rising from $2.56 billion the previous day.
Institutional Investors Pull Back
Despite positive signs from retail investors, institutional demand for XRP products has taken a hit. Recent reports indicate that XRP investment vehicles experienced $76 million in outflows last week, with ETFs representing $28 million of that total. Cumulative month-to-date outflows have now reached $133 million, causing assets under management to dwindle to $2.4 billion.
Ripple Labs has also come under scrutiny for its token sales strategy, with critics arguing that the company sells premined XRP to retail investors and uses the proceeds to fund acquisitions, develop non-XRP related products, and conduct stock buybacks for its private shareholders. Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz has defended these practices, but discontent remains among certain investor circles who feel the structure disproportionately benefits Ripple’s equity holders rather than XRP holders.
On the technical front, XRP is facing a critical resistance zone around the $1.55 mark, where recent bearish rejection has increased the likelihood of a price pullback. The token is also trading below its 50-day and 200-day exponential moving averages (EMAs), signaling a need for a sustained close above $1.60 to change the current trend trajectory.
As of March 17, Binance’s open interest stood at 353.49 million XRP, edging closer to the pre-crash peak of 400 million seen in September 2025 but still reflecting cautious market sentiment.
