If there was ever a moment that encapsulated Ripple’s vision of bridging traditional finance and crypto—for both the veterans on trading desks and newcomers scrolling TikTok for the latest chart—this was it. Across July 10–11, 2025, XRP delivered a bullish masterclass, notching an eye-catching 6–8% jump to trade between $2.57 and $2.64. RLUSD, Ripple’s flagship stablecoin, vaulted over the $500 million market cap hurdle, while trading volume swelled by more than 160%. And—here’s where things get especially interesting—these milestones didn’t occur in isolation; rather, they converged with executive pronouncements, whale manoeuvres, and a groundswell of regulatory progress on both sides of the Atlantic [Source: CoinCentral].
Behind the Rally: Price, Volume, and Whale Activity
Let’s start where most crypto headlines do: the charts. XRP’s move wasn’t a one-off spike or a fleeting news bump. By 02:00 GMT on July 10, XRP sat tentatively at $2.42. Seven hours later, it tore through the $2.50 resistance—both a technical pivot and psychological marker that’s tripped up more than a few retail buyers in the past week. Momentum accelerated through London trading, peaking near $2.58 by mid-afternoon [Source: AInvest].
Volume didn’t just creep up—it exploded. The 24-hour tally reached 219 million XRP, up a remarkable 168% over prior sessions. Running the numbers, that’s over $4.5 billion in value changing hands. Institutional and large wallet behaviour tracked right along with the price: wallets holding more than a million XRP now control 47.32 billion tokens, almost half the circulating supply. Behind the scenes, a 477 million XRP transfer to an unidentified wallet triggered waves of speculation—smart money pre-positioning or strategic basket-shuffling ahead of anticipated regulatory headlines? [Source: CoinCentral] [Source: CryptoAdventure]
RLUSD: The Institutional Power Move
Forget noisy on-chain trading for a minute—Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin breaking the half-billion mark is a signal the suits in City and Wall Street can’t afford to ignore. What changed? The partnership with BNY Mellon, a global custodial heavyweight managing over $53 trillion in assets, isn’t just a box-ticking compliance exercise. It’s the institutional “green light” for enterprises who, until now, have watched stablecoins from a cautious distance. RLUSD’s supply swelled past 501 million tokens overnight, with prices holding a near-perfect peg, and—crucially—BNY standing as principal custodian [Source: AInvest].
But here’s the kicker: RLUSD’s trading volumes remain muted on spot exchanges. If you’re looking for retail-driven churn or meme-level explosion, look elsewhere. RLUSD’s growth story is playing out in treasury management and institutional pilots (think Ripple’s Kenya drought insurance project), not in frantic secondary market froth [Source: Cryptopolitan]. The market cap milestone owes everything to corporate trust, not retail FOMO—and market depth is shored up by tight, multi-billion dollar custodial reserves.
At the Mic: Garlinghouse and Schwartz Set the Tone
Whilst the price action had most traders glued to their screens, Ripple’s executive suite wasted no time seizing the narrative. CEO Brad Garlinghouse hit CNBC with a vision that stretched beyond commodity speculation: “The world isn’t going to be taken over by crypto… [We aim to] bring faster, cheaper transactions to traditional finance.” Regulatory clarity and institutional partnerships, he asserted, were now centre-stage, with RLUSD acting as a “core pillar” for institutional-grade flows in the years ahead [Source: CCN].
David Schwartz chimed in shortly after, doubling down on the BNY Mellon relationship and reiterating that XRP remains “pivotal” to Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) suite, even as RLUSD opens up new enterprise settlement routes. There’s a clear dual-pronged strategy at play: keep XRP central to legacy ODL rails and let RLUSD run point for regulated stablecoin settlement, both under the steadying hand of a global custodian [Source: 99Bitcoins].
Regulatory Chess: The ETF and Legal Endgame
Ripple’s legal team might just be pulling off a tactical masterstroke. With the SEC’s long-running case possibly nearing its conclusion (thanks to Ripple’s strategic withdrawal of its own cross-appeal in June), market watchers are reading between the lines. Judge Analisa Torres’ recent docket ‘spring clean’ all but signals settlement is on the horizon. Meanwhile, U.S. and UK legislators are pushing through crypto- and stablecoin-friendly statutes, most notably the GENIUS Act, which raises the prospect of a friendlier, harmonised approach across multiple jurisdictions [Source: Blockchain Magazine].
Institutional anticipation is also running hot around ETF launches. The imminent debut of XRP futures ETFs (including ProShares and Turtle Capital’s leveraged offerings landing July 14) serves up precisely the liquidity and entry ramp that the smart money—previously hesitant—has been waiting for. It’s no accident that whale wallets topped up to 47.3 billion XRP as these headlines broke [Source: CoinCentral].
Social Sentiment: #XRPsummer and the Community Chorus
Scroll Twitter, Reddit, or Telegram, and the mood is unmistakably bullish. The #XRPsummer hashtag has morphed into a rallying cry, at times eclipsing even Bitcoin chatter. Influencers and analysts, from @CryptoWhaleUK to “CryptoLizUK,” are lining up to embrace RLUSD’s institution-first narrative and call Ripple’s regulatory pivot a watershed moment [Source: AInvest].
On Reddit’s r/Ripple, traders are dissecting order book moves and celebrating whale activity near $2.60 as evidence of “smart money” conviction. That sentiment echoes across European Telegram groups, where compliance and banking charter discussions are replacing the nervous FUD of 2022–2024.
Expert Takes: What Analysts Are Saying
- Jamie Davidson (CryptoQuant): “The breakout from $2.50’s descending wedge is a textbook reversal. Whale accumulation ratchets up confidence—it’s a strong institutional buy signal.”
- Mark Phillips (Blockchain Capital): “Don’t ignore the $2.60 and $3.00 resistance. Breakout appetite is real, but headwinds still matter.”
- Sophia Clarke (UK crypto analyst): “RLUSD stablecoin maturity is a signal Ripple’s ecosystem is entering a new era—broad institutional appeal follows compliance, not hype.”
- Alex Hart (technical trader): “A 160%+ volume bump isn’t noise—it’s the market voting definitively for continuation, not a mere pump.”
- Liam O’Sullivan (Blockchain.News): “Control of 47 billion tokens in a handful of wallets signals a shifting market structure. Less volatility, greater trust.”
Scenarios: How Could the Next 48 Hours Unfold?
- Bullish Breakout: XRP sustains above $2.60, breaches $2.65, and gathers pace towards $3—catalysed by ETF launches, whale support, and ongoing RLUSD credibility waves.
- Resistance Reversal: Failure to hold $2.60 leads to a tactical pullback (think $2.35–$2.45), where accumulation resumes. Smart money gets another bite at the apple.
- Ecosystem Expansion: RLUSD deepens adoption with BNY Mellon, underpinning XRP’s role as a core infrastructure bridge and attracting further blue-chip partnerships.
- Regulatory Curveball: If the SEC throws up last-minute conditions or delays, temporary volatility may shake out weak hands—yet the narrative tailwind from both legal progress and executive communication still supports an upward bias.
Comparative Media Pulse: What’s Standing Out?
Different outlets are angling into the XRP story with their own editorial priorities, but the fundamental consensus is clear. CoinCentral and AInvest foreground technicals and whale flows, while CryptoNews and The Currency Analytics shine a spotlight on regulatory narrative and ecosystem scale. UK coverage takes a measured tack, homing in on institutional adoption and regulatory harmonisation as drivers of sustainable value. The only point of real divergence? Just how quickly XRP can pierce $3 and whether RLUSD’s custody-first model will spur a shift in stablecoin innovation elsewhere [Source: CryptoNews].
The Broader Take: Ripple’s Blueprint for the Next Cycle
With the regulatory winds shifting and RLUSD proving its institutional mettle, Ripple’s blueprint is hard to ignore, even for hardened sceptics. The company is carving a lane most competitors have yet to even spot—nestling XRP at the heart of cross-border liquidity, spinning up compliant stablecoin rails for banks and corporates, all underpinned by the steady tonality of executive leadership. The technicals have aligned. The whale activity is unmistakable. Now, as ETF anticipation reaches a fever pitch, the only remaining question is whether XRP can maintain momentum and breach the much-watched $3 level.
One thing is certain: market structure, institutional flows, and the evolving regulatory landscape are shifting in Ripple’s favour. Smart money is watching. Retail is piling in. If the current bullish confluence continues, mid-term targets stretching from $4 to $6 are not just possible; they look distinctly plausible.
Sources
- CoinCentral – XRP Price & Whale Buying Frenzy Sends Token Soaring
- AInvest – XRP News Today: XRP Surges 6% on Whale Accumulation and Technical Breakout
- CryptoAdventure – Whale Drops $60M XRP On Coinbase: What’s Next for Ripple’s Price?
- 99Bitcoins – Ripple Picks BNY Mellon to Custody Its New Stablecoin
- Blockchain Magazine – XRP News Heats Up as SEC Appeal Decision Nears and Senate Acts on Crypto
- AInvest – Ripple partners BNY Mellon for RLUSD custody; stablecoin surpasses $500 million
- Cryptopolitan – Ripple Ends Drought Insurance Pilot in Kenya
- 99Bitcoins – Ripple Picks BNY Mellon for Stablecoin Custody
- CCN – Ripple CEO Highlights $2T Stablecoin Surge and Institutional Strategy
- CryptoNews – XRP Price Surges 8% in Breakout Move, Can It Reach $6 in This Rally?
- CoinCentral – XRP Demand Surges as Expert Urges Investors to Go All-In This Cycle
- CCN – Brad Garlinghouse On Cryptocurrency’s Role in Traditional Finance
- The Currency Analytics – XRP Signals Bull Run as SHIB Gains Momentum and Ethereum Eyes $3000 Breakout
- Blockchain Magazine – XRP News Heats Up as SEC Appeal Decision Nears and Senate Acts on Crypto
- Mitrade – Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Senate Testimony on Crypto Regulation
- AInvest – XRP Approaches Key Resistance Zone Amid Bullish Sentiment
- Cryptopolitan – Ripple Ends Drought Insurance Pilot in Kenya
- CoinCentral – XRP Price & Whale Buying Frenzy Sends Token Soaring
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