XRP has been drawing significant attention from both retail investors and institutional players, with recent price movements and on-chain activity revealing a potentially pivotal moment in the token’s journey. Despite a relatively neutral technical landscape, XRP has managed to climb back to $2.18, fueled primarily by a wave of whale accumulation and notable network activity. These developments suggest that while retail interest may be muted for now, major investors are quietly preparing for a possible price breakout.

Over the past week, XRP whales have accumulated more than 420 million tokens—worth approximately $915 million—according to on-chain data. This level of buying activity is a strong signal of confidence from large holders, often regarded as early indicators of major market moves. Interestingly, this accumulation has occurred alongside a drop in new wallet creation, hitting a two-month low. This disparity indicates that while average retail investors remain cautious or disengaged, whales are using the lull to consolidate their positions without driving too much attention or volatility.

XRP’s price experienced a 6% spike, reaching $2.23 after a high-volume hour saw more than 108 million XRP change hands. This surge came in the middle of June, a month that has seen persistent whale activity. On June 18, Ripple itself transferred 200 million XRP—roughly $439 million—to an unidentified wallet. This move is speculated to be part of a larger strategic shift, possibly tied to institutional placements or liquidity provisions for upcoming developments.

Earlier in the month, large XRP transfers also caught attention. On June 12, 15, and 19, a series of transactions totaling over 80 million XRP—worth about $175 million—were sent from anonymous wallets to Coinbase. These deposits likely reflect whales positioning themselves to either liquidate holdings or prepare for opportunistic exits depending on price movements. Additionally, another 230 million XRP were moved from Ripple’s wallets to an unknown address, while a separate 50 million XRP was transferred between unknown wallets—indicative of increasing behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

All of this points to an impending market decision. The number of wallets holding over 1 million XRP recently hit an all-time high of 2,850, signaling that larger holders are not only staying in the game but increasing their stakes. Whale behavior in the crypto space often precedes broader price movements, as they have the resources and insight to act strategically when market sentiment is mixed or neutral.

The growing interest isn’t limited to passive accumulation. XRP also recorded a staggering 442.7% spike in daily active addresses, climbing to 181,000 unique addresses in a single 24-hour period. Such a massive uptick suggests a revival in on-chain engagement, which often correlates with growing user interest, protocol utilization, and anticipation of future developments. This aligns with broader bullish speculation around XRP, particularly amid renewed optimism following the ongoing Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit, which continues to influence investor confidence.

From a technical standpoint, XRP remains at a critical juncture. The token is trading at $2.18, up 3.6% in the past 24 hours and recovering from its earlier dip below the $2.00 level. It has also posted a weekly gain of 2.7%. While these are modest numbers, they show resilience in the face of broader market uncertainty. The $2.20–$2.24 zone is now acting as key resistance. A successful breakout above this could clear the path for a move higher, potentially towards $2.50 and beyond. However, if XRP fails to breach this level, a pullback to the $2.05–$2.10 support zone remains a real possibility.

Technical indicators are mixed. Momentum and MACD are flashing mild bullish signals, suggesting some upward strength. The short-term exponential moving averages (EMAs) are trending positively, but longer-term simple moving averages (50, 100, 200-day) still indicate lingering resistance. For now, XRP appears to be in a consolidation phase, but with the scale of recent whale activity and on-chain engagement, a breakout could be looming.

In summary, XRP is quietly building strength beneath the surface. While the price action may appear muted to casual observers, the underlying signals—from whale accumulation and institutional transfers to rising active addresses—indicate that something larger could be on the horizon. Investors will be closely watching whether XRP can sustain its climb and break above the crucial $2.20 threshold.