XRP Whales Accused of Manipulating Liquidity During Massive Market Move

• On-chain analysts reported the outflow of 34.94 million $XRP tokens from exchange platforms to private wallets in a single day.
• The Real World Assets (RWA) sector on the XRPL network reached a valuation of $3.03 billion, a 45% increase in 30 days.
• Goldman Sachs reported holding $153.8 million in spot $XRP ETFs, consolidating its position as the largest institutional holder.

During May 2026, market analysts detected an increase in $XRP whale activity, which reportedly caused significant changes in liquidity levels across major exchange platforms. At the time of writing, the asset was trading in a range between $1.30 and $1.45.

Strategic Manipulation and Institutional Accumulation

The Cheeky Crypto report indicates that the current resistance at the $1.45 level could be a liquidity zone deliberately created by whales. Data suggests that what retail investors interpret as a technical barrier could function as a “market trap” to absorb selling pressure through Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).

Whales CONFIRMED Manipulating $XRP to Hijack Liquidity

$XRP is hitting the $1.45 wall for the fourth time, but the data reveals this “ceiling” is actually a whale trap. This forensic breakdown explores the massive 1.16 billion token supply overhang and the hidden pipes of the… pic.twitter.com/SmnczMlRbW

— Cheeky Crypto (@CheekyCrypto) May 10, 2026

According to Bloomberg, the supply of $XRP on exchanges dropped over the last 24 hours following the withdrawal of more than $115 million in assets. This outflow is typically interpreted as a sign of long-term accumulation, reducing the supply available for immediate sale.

On the other hand, figures from SoSoValue reveal that spot $XRP ETFs in the United States currently manage $1.53 billion in assets. This institutional interest has been bolstered by Goldman Sachs’ disclosure, as it controls approximately 73% of the known institutional exposure in these financial products.

Technical Advances and Real Asset Adoption on XRPL

Activity in the $XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem shows an acceleration in the tokenization of Real World Assets (RWA). The network concentrates 63% of the supply of tokenized U.S. Treasury bonds, with a capitalization exceeding $3 billion at the close of the first week of May.

A recent milestone, dated Thursday, May 7, 2026, documents a successful cross-border settlement test executed by Ondo Finance, JPMorgan Kinexys, Mastercard, and Ripple. The process allowed for the redemption of tokenized Treasury bonds in less than five seconds, operating outside traditional banking hours using XRPL infrastructure.

The current trend suggests that the $XRP market is transitioning from a model based on retail speculation to one dominated by institutional utility. Stablecoin adoption on the network is also expanding, with a total value near $498 million and a transfer volume maintaining an upward trajectory.

The United States Senate Banking Committee has a session scheduled for May 14, 2026, to discuss the regulatory framework of the “Clarity Act.” According to projections, the potential classification of $XRP as a digital commodity under this legislation could act as the necessary catalyst for the price to break through its current resistance zone.