XRP’s Relentless Bid: Why Whales Are Betting Big as Bitcoin’s Grip on Crypto Wobbles

If you’re still clinging to the idea that crypto is just a proxy for Bitcoin, you missed the real action this week. As Bitcoin’s price stuttered at $70,000 and the NFT market bled out $58 million in sales, XRP quietly staged a near-20% rally, powered by a surge of whale accumulation and the first real ETF inflows since the sector’s brutal shakeout. The narrative that “everything follows Bitcoin” is starting to look like a relic from 2021. The real story is that XRP, long dismissed as the corporate cousin in crypto’s dysfunctional family, is suddenly showing the kind of relative strength that makes even the most jaded quant sit up and check their exposure.

The facts: XRP snapped a three-day losing streak, with dip buyers defending the $1.00 level. According to data from beincrypto.com and fxempire.com, ETF inflows for XRP turned positive for the first time in weeks, and whale wallets, those holding over 10 million tokens, were net buyers even as retail panicked. The XRP/BTC chart, per u.today, now hints at a 51% upside move, a technical setup that’s hard to ignore when the rest of the crypto majors are still licking their wounds from the latest Bitcoin-driven bloodbath. Meanwhile, Bitrue’s rollout of new RLUSD pairs has deepened XRP’s liquidity and given the token a rare narrative tailwind: actual infrastructure growth, not just hype.

Zoom out and the context gets even more interesting. Bitcoin’s dominance, once the only chart that mattered, is now being chipped away by pockets of altcoin resilience. The NFT market’s 20% plunge is a symptom of a broader risk-off move, but XRP is bucking the trend. ETF inflows are the canary in the coal mine for institutional sentiment, and the fact that XRP is attracting fresh capital while Bitcoin ETFs stagnate is a sign that the market is hunting for uncorrelated returns. The last time XRP outperformed Bitcoin this decisively was in the run-up to its 2021 legal saga peak. Back then, the rally fizzled as quickly as it started. This time, the setup is different: the regulatory fog is lifting, ETF products are live, and whales are buying with both hands.

Let’s not pretend this is all sunshine and rainbows. XRP’s history is littered with failed breakouts and regulatory curveballs. But the technical picture is hard to dismiss. The $1.00 level has become a fortress of support, with every dip below met by aggressive buying. The XRP/BTC ratio, long a graveyard for altcoin dreams, is showing its first sustained uptrend in over a year. If you’re a trader who likes asymmetric bets, this is the kind of setup that gets you out of bed in the morning.

The ETF angle can’t be overstated. Inflows are the oxygen that keeps a rally alive, and XRP is finally breathing easy. The fact that whales are leading the charge, rather than retail FOMO, suggests this isn’t just another pump-and-dump. The infrastructure story, Bitrue’s RLUSD pairs, growing liquidity, means XRP isn’t just riding the coattails of macro flows. It’s building a real use case, or at least the market is starting to believe it might.

Strykr Watch

Technically, XRP is at a critical juncture. The $1.00 level is now a line in the sand. Below that, the next major support is $0.90, where the last round of whale accumulation took place. On the upside, the $1.20 resistance is the first real test for bulls, with a breakout opening the door to the $1.50 zone. The XRP/BTC ratio has cleared its 200-day moving average, a level that has capped every rally since 2022. RSI is approaching overbought, but not yet at nosebleed levels, there’s room to run if momentum holds. ETF inflows are the wildcard: sustained buying here could fuel a squeeze, especially if Bitcoin remains rangebound.

The risk, of course, is that this is just another head fake. If $1.00 fails, the next stop is $0.90, and the rally could unravel as quickly as it began. But the setup is asymmetric: the upside targets are 20-50% above, while the downside is capped by recent whale buying. For traders, this is the kind of risk-reward profile that’s hard to find in a market still reeling from Bitcoin’s volatility.

The bear case is simple: if ETF inflows reverse, or if Bitcoin takes another leg lower, XRP could get dragged down with the rest of the market. Regulatory surprises are always lurking, and XRP’s history with the SEC is enough to give any trader pause. But the technicals and flows suggest the path of least resistance is higher, at least for now.

For the opportunists, the playbook is straightforward. Long on dips to $1.00, stop at $0.90, target $1.20 and $1.50. For the more adventurous, the XRP/BTC ratio offers a leveraged bet on altcoin outperformance. The key is to watch ETF flows, if they stay positive, the rally has legs. If they turn, get out of the way.

Strykr Take

This isn’t your 2021 altcoin pump. XRP is showing real relative strength, with whales and ETF flows leading the charge. The technicals back it up, and the risk-reward is compelling. If you’re looking for a trade that isn’t just a Bitcoin proxy, this is it. The market is finally rewarding real flows, not just hype. Don’t sleep on XRP’s breakout potential.

datePublished: 2026-02-07T05:45:00Z