XRP slipped below $1 on Friday for the first time since 2024, extending a slide that has wiped out nearly 70% of its value over the past year. The drop came even as large holders stepped in to buy, with whales scooping up 72 million XRP — roughly $72 million — in the past 24 hours, according to analyst Ali Martinez.
Whale buying picks up
That's not a one-off. Martinez also flagged that whales accumulated over 380 million XRP in a single week. Data from Santiment shows the number of addresses holding at least 1 million XRP has grown by 32 over the last three months. So while the price keeps falling, the biggest wallets keep adding.
The $1.06 line
Martinez has been warning that $1.06 is a critical level for XRP. Holding above it could trigger a rally to $1.64, he said. Breaking below, though, could open the door to a crash toward $0.62. XRP's valuation has already fallen under that $1.06 mark, which puts the downside scenario in play.
Selling pressure on Binance
On the exchange side, CryptoQuant reports that XRP's selling pressure on Binance has intensified to its highest level since May. The Taker Buy/Sell ratio dropped to 0.86, meaning sell orders are outpacing buy orders. That's a bearish signal, and it helps explain why the price keeps sliding despite the whale accumulation.
The next move hinges on whether XRP can reclaim $1.06. If it holds, Martinez sees a path to $1.64. If not, the downside target is $0.62.
