XRP: Who’s behind the massive $117 million transfer?

81 Million XRP on the Move: Details of a Ghost Transfer

This is the alert that has been shaking the crypto community for the past few hours. According to on-chain data shared by analyst Ripple Bull Winkle, a staggering sum of 81 million XRP (approximately $117 million at current prices) has changed hands in almost complete secrecy. Unlike typical transactions to exchanges like Binance or Coinbase, which often signal imminent selling intentions, this transfer occurred between two unknown wallets with no identified labels.

The Ripple distributed ledger recorded the timestamp, minimal transaction fees, and cryptographic hash, but the identity of both sender and receiver remains a complete mystery. This type of movement, often referred to as an OTC (Over-The-Counter) transaction, suggests an institutional operation or private off-market agreement to avoid causing massive slippage on the token’s price. For experts, this is no coincidence: such volume doesn’t move without a precise strategy behind it.

The absence of a destination to a centralized exchange platform (CEX) is a crucial indicator. Generally, when a whale sends funds to an exchange, market sentiment immediately turns bearish, with traders anticipating selling pressure (dump). Here, keeping the funds in a private wallet could instead indicate an accumulation phase or cold storage, which would be a rather reassuring signal for long-term hodlers.

Strategic Accumulation or Dump Preparation?

This movement comes during a particularly tense market context. After hitting a local ATH near $3 in 2025, XRP has undergone a severe correction, trading today around $1.41. Volatility is low, and trading volumes are weakening, making each Smart Money movement all the more significant. Investors are scrutinizing these transfers to try to predict the next trend breakout.

Analyst Ripple Bull Winkle emphasizes that “someone knows something.” The hypothesis of an institutional buyout in anticipation of a major announcement from Ripple Labs cannot be ruled out. Historically, large maneuvers of this type often precede periods of high volatility. If these 81 million XRP are indeed locked up for the long term, it would reduce the available circulating supply, potentially creating a supply shock favorable to a bullish recovery.

However, caution remains warranted. Some observers fear that this transfer is only the first step of a more complex liquidation. If these funds end up being fragmented and sent to exchanges in the coming days, the technical support at $1.38 could give way, driving the price toward price zones unexplored for several months. The market therefore remains on maximum alert, monitoring any subsequent movement of these funds.

Will the $1.33 Support Hold Against Whale Pressure?

While Bitcoin and Ethereum search for direction, XRP finds itself at a critical crossroads. Defending the $1.40 level is essential to avoid a drop toward the psychological zone of $1.33.

In addition to losing the middle of its range in LTF, XRP shows a seller order block on the 6-hour chart to the north, between $1.46 and $1.49. This indicates that a rebound will be greatly hindered by this major liquidity zone. XRP therefore seems pointed downward in the coming weeks, with $1 as the first target.

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