|

Ripple's legal uncertainty dismissed by XRP whales who continue accumulating heavily

  • XRP price pulled back near a critical supply barrier as the altcoin market slows down.
  • According to Ripple's quarterly markets report, despite the SEC lawsuit, 90% of XRP volume remains intact.
  • Whale accumulation hints at a potential price recovery.

XRP price could be heading to greener pastures as a recent report reveals that transaction volumes continue increasing despite legal uncertainty. Meanwhile, high net-worth individuals resumed a buying frenzy. 

Ripple moves business outside of the U.S. due to legal uncertainty

XRP price suffered a massive setback after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission slapped Ripple with a class-action lawsuit. According to the distributed ledger firm, the charges against it triggered "uncertainty for U.S. players" around this cryptocurrency and stifled "American innovation and progress." 

An important development to the case is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filing. Ripple recently requested the financial watchdog to provide information on how it ruled-out Bitcoin and Ethereum as non-securities. The company hopes that such documentation can help with the case's dismissal.

While the lawsuit has caused some of the most prominent cryptocurrency exchanges to delist or suspend trading activity for XRP, Ripple's Q4 2020 report states that "90% of XRP volumes remained intact [because] many market participants moved forward with business related to XRP outside the U.S."

Moreover, Ripple's On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) saw a 12x year-over-year growth in transaction volumes and the addition of fifteen new customers. At the same time, SBI Holdings announced the addition of XRP to the cryptocurrency lending service.

XRP price holds above critical support while whales buy the dip

XRP price managed to pull itself from the slump at the beginning of the month. This cryptocurrency's market value rose by a whopping 200%. But a steep correction followed because traders took advantage of the rising price action to exit their underwatered positions. 

While volatility remains high, XRP price continues to hold above the $0.40 support level showing signs that it wants to maintain its upward momentum.

XRP/USD 1-day chart

XRP/USD 1-day chart

Indeed, XRP whales come out of the woodwork and are increasing their holdings at an exponential rate. The number of addresses holding 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 XRP increased roughly by 2.60% since February 1. 

Such behavior indicates that whales are confident about XRP's future. 

XRP Hodlers Distribution chart

XRP Hodlers Distribution chart

As long as XRP price continues to hold above the $0.40 support level, the odds will favor the bulls as the buying pressure seen recently will be reflected on its market value. However, slicing through this barrier could result in a 20% downswing to $0.24.

Author

Akash Girimath

Akash Girimath is a Mechanical Engineer interested in the chaos of the financial markets. Trying to make sense of this convoluted yet fascinating space, he switched his engineering job to become a crypto reporter and analyst.

More from Akash Girimath
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

Avalanche struggles near $12 as Grayscale files updated form for ETF

Avalanche trades close to $12 by press time on Wednesday, extending the nearly 2% drop from the previous day. Grayscale filed an updated form to convert its Avalanche-focused Trust into an ETF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bitcoin slips below $87,000 as ETF outflows intensify, whale participation declines

Bitcoin price continues to trade around $86,770 on Wednesday, after failing to break above the $90,000 resistance. US-listed spot ETFs record an outflow of $188.64 million on Tuesday, marking the fourth consecutive day of withdrawals.

Michael Selig assumes role as new CFTC Chair, what does this mean for crypto?

Michael Selig has been sworn in to serve as the 16th Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Selig was confirmed by the US Senate to head the commission last week, following his October nomination by the US President Donald Trump.

Crypto.com hires sports trader for event prediction market-making

Crypto.com plans to recruit a quant trader for the sports market-making team to buy and sell financial contracts related to these events. Opponents argue that internal trading desks put operators or their affiliates on the opposite side of customer trades. 

Orange Juice Newsletter – Smart insights by real people. Every day.

A free newsletter highlighting key market trends to help traders stay a step ahead. Daily insights on the most relevant trading topics, compiled by our experts in an easy-to-read format so you never miss an important move.

Bitcoin: Fed delivers, yet fails to impress BTC traders

Bitcoin (BTC) continues de trade within the recent consolidation phase, hovering around $92,000 at the time of writing on Friday, as investors digest the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) cautious December rate cut and its implications for risk assets.