Entering the new year, XRP started on a weak note in terms of price, experiencing a nearly 4% depreciation throughout January. However, the on-chain data tells a different story, pointing to recovery signals in the behavior of major investors despite the short-term selling pressure. Santiment data reveals an increase in the number of high-balance wallets for the first time in a long period. Concurrently, capital inflow into XRP-focused ETFs listed in the US reached remarkable levels.
Increase After Four Months in Million XRP Holder Wallets
According to the on-chain analysis platform Santiment, the number of wallets holding at least 1 million XRP began to rise for the first time since September 2025. As of January, the total rose by 42, reaching 2,016 wallets. This increase following a four-month gradual decline is interpreted as long-term investors starting to take positions again.
In a statement on social media platform X, Santiment emphasized that high-balance wallets returning to the ledger are encouraging for the long-term outlook. XRP, known for its use in cross-border payment solutions by Ripple, is an enterprise-focused cryptocurrency. Thus, movements of major investors are considered more indicative than individual trading behaviors.
However, the same optimism is not observed on the price side. At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $1.88, down approximately 1.7% daily. The technical outlook shows the price remaining below the 50-day moving average, repeatedly meeting resistance in the $2 area. This scenario suggests that major players are focusing on long-term prospects rather than chasing short-term gains.
Strong Inflows into XRP ETFs, Outflows in Bitcoin
The favorable scenario for XRP is not limited to on-chain data. Spot XRP ETFs traded in the US stock market registered a net inflow of $91.72 million in January. According to SoSoValue, these funds attracted $666 million in November and $499 million in December.
During the same period, Bitcoin ETFs witnessed an opposite trend, experiencing a net outflow of $278 million in January, following withdrawals exceeding $4 billion in the last two months of 2025. The shift of institutional capital towards XRP products indicates a change in risk distribution.
The divergence between price performance and fund flows is noteworthy. Due to weak market momentum, XRP has yet to reflect the increasing demand in its prices. It is known that similar patterns in the past have led to more severe price fluctuations after prolonged lateral movements. However, it is also reminded that the timing varies in each cycle.
