Whales withdrew 231 million XRP (XRP) from Binance in one day, a six-month high worth more than $335 million, while derivatives traders increased selling pressure.
Key Points:
- Whale withdrawals from Binance reached 231 million XRP, worth more than $335 million.
- Binance net taker volume fell to -$96 million, its strongest sell-side imbalance of 2026.
- XRP open interest on Binance rose about 14.8%, pointing to fresh leveraged positioning.
XRP Whale Withdrawals
Whales removed 231 million XRP from Binance and pushed single-day outflows above $335 million. The 90-day average is closer to $40 million.
That puts the one-day figure at more than eight times the 90-day average, underscoring how unusual the transfer volume was during XRP’s recovery. Moving tokens away from an exchange reduces the amount immediately available for sale, although withdrawals do not prove that whales bought the coins. Transfers can also reflect custody changes or other portfolio decisions.
Darkfost said continued accumulation could put the $2 level back in focus, saying, “Should this accumulation dynamic continue, XRP could test the $2 mark.”
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Darkfost Derivatives View
The derivatives market showed the opposite pressure, with Binance net taker volume falling to -$96 million, the strongest sell-side imbalance recorded there in 2026. Aggressive sellers were clearly dominant.
At the same time, XRP open interest on Binance increased about 14.8%, indicating that traders were adding leveraged positions rather than simply closing existing longs.
If the selling mainly reflected long positions being closed, open interest would generally have declined instead. The increase supports the possibility that new shorts were entering.
That interpretation is not definitive because open-interest data cannot identify every new position as short. Darkfost called the setup “a real tug-of-war” between spot demand and derivatives selling pressure, while XRP continued to hold above $1.40. The market is therefore showing opposing signals.
The split comes after a sharp XRP recovery. The token traded near $1.43 on Aug. 28 after gaining 11% over the previous week, while Darkfost put its broader rebound at roughly 70%.
That advance set the stage for today’s divergence between lower exchange supply and heavier futures selling.
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