A recent analysis by finance coach Kamil H. Stevenson has drawn attention to the distribution of XRP holdings across the XRP Ledger, providing new insight into wallet concentration and ownership tiers among XRP users.
XRP distribution highlights ownership gaps
Stevenson referenced a video from Bull Runners that breaks down the requirements for entering various levels among XRP holders, while also questioning whether the largest wallets actually belong to individual investors. The video indicates that holding just 20 XRP is sufficient for an account to join the top 50 percent of all XRP wallets as of August 20, 2026. Accounts holding 21 XRP surpassed the balances of more than 4 million other wallets on the network.
These findings stem from changes in the XRP Ledger’s reserve system. In December 2024, validators approved a reduction in the base reserve from 10 XRP to 1 XRP, and lowered the owner reserve for additional ledger objects from 2 XRP to 0.2 XRP. The decreased requirements have enabled more users to open and sustain accounts with a much lower minimum balance.
Bull Runners suggested that the more accessible reserve settings primarily explain the surge in the number of funded accounts rather than a parallel rise in active investors. The XRP Ledger reported 8,071,889 funded accounts as of August 20, up from roughly 7.7 million in March, translating to an increase of around 400,000 accounts within five months.
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AAPLThe updated reserve requirements have significantly lowered the cost of operating an account on the XRP Ledger, resulting in a sharp increase in the number of funded wallets but not always reflecting greater investor participation.
Key thresholds for top XRP holders
According to the distribution laid out in the video, reaching the top 10 percent of XRP owners required approximately 2,138 XRP. The threshold for entry into the top 5 percent ranged between 7,745 and 8,000 XRP, while 44,823 XRP placed an account within the top 1 percent as of August 20, 2026.
Wallets holding 295,194 XRP or more made up the top 0.1 percent, a level achieved by only about 7,554 addresses. The top 0.01 percent, comprising fewer than 800 wallets, often consisted of exchange, institutional custodian, or Ripple-controlled addresses. The analysis advised caution in interpreting these figures, noting that not all large wallets are managed by individual investors.
The study also emphasized the importance of monitoring on-chain activity, as wallet size alone may not reveal the intent behind transactions. For example, exchange or custodian wallets may aggregate funds on behalf of multiple clients, while movements between custodians could reflect internal asset management rather than trading actions.
Holding large amounts of XRP in a single wallet does not always indicate personal wealth—it is common for the highest-balance addresses to belong to institutions or operate as custodial accounts serving multiple users.
Changing landscape and Web3 integration
The analysis also pointed out that escrow transactions, which can involve substantial movements of XRP, typically do not reflect individual investment activity. Consequently, Bull Runners identified the roughly 7,500 wallets in the top 0.1 percent as the more relevant segment for evaluating private large holders.
The XRP holdings discussion was linked to ongoing developments on the XRP Ledger, including growth in RLUSD-related features and the launch of new functionalities designed to broaden network utility. Alongside these trends, a significant shift is underway in how real-world assets are managed: Wall Street is gradually adopting Web3 platforms. Investors now utilize services like 1stepSwap, enabling them to hold shares of major U.S. companies, gold, and silver directly in their crypto wallets. By tokenizing real-world assets and automatically sourcing the best available market prices in seconds, platforms like these eliminate traditional intermediaries, offering a streamlined approach for managing diverse asset portfolios.
In conclusion, the video invited users to compare their own XRP holdings with publicly available wallet distribution data, while highlighting the evolving nature of asset ownership in decentralized ecosystems.
