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XRP Sees Surge in $100K+ Transactions: What Does it Mean for Ripple’s Price?

XRP’s on-chain activity took a sudden turn early this week as large-value transfers on the XRP Ledger jumped to a three-month high, according to new data from Santiment. The rise in $100,000-plus transactions points to growing involvement from large holders at a time when the Ripple token’s price is pulling back, setting the stage for wider price movement in the days ahead. Whale Activity Jumps as Exchange Balances Keep Falling Santiment said on January 8 that whale-sized XRP transfers climbed from 2,170 on Monday to 2,802 the following day, the highest daily count since October. The analytics firm warned that price movement is likely to be more erratic than usual when large holders become this active. That behavior stands out because it contrasts with what is happening on exchanges. Separate data shared by CryptoQuant contributor CryptoOnchain showed XRP reserves on Binance falling to about 2.6 billion tokens, the lowest level since January 2024. Since late 2025, balances on the exchange have dropped from roughly 3.25 billion XRP, a shift often linked to holders moving coins into self-custody rather than preparing to sell. Meanwhile, Arab Chain added another layer to the picture, with the platform’s analysts pointing out that whale flows to Binance have been trending lower since mid-December 2025, after peaking above 70% of total inflows in November and early December. Whales now make up about 60% of XRP deposits to the exchange, while retail participation has stayed fairly steady. Historically, according to the analysts, fewer whale deposits suggest less immediate selling interest from large players. The data has come at a time when XRP is becoming a major talking point in broader markets. On January 6, CNBC’s Power Lunch called it the “hottest crypto trade” of 2026, pointing to heavy interest from investors seeking bigger percentage moves than Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH) after strong ETF inflows late last year. Price Action Cools, But Larger Trend Still Intact At the markets, XRP was trading around $2.13 at the time of this writing, after a 6% drop in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data. The token briefly touched the upper end of its weekly range around $2.40 earlier this week before sellers pushed it lower, in line with a softer session across the wider crypto market. Zooming out, XRP is still up about 16% in the last seven days and nearly 14% over the past two weeks. Monthly gains sit just above 3%, while the yearly figure remains slightly negative. Analysts are watching key support near $2.27, with a sustained hold above that level viewed as critical for maintaining bullish momentum. Some chartists point to a bullish setup on the XRP/BTC pairing not seen since 2018, suggesting a potential shift in relative strength. For now, rising whale transfers paired with falling exchange balances suggest positioning rather than panic, even as short-term price swings remain likely. The post XRP Sees Surge in $100K+ Transactions: What Does it Mean for Ripple’s Price? appeared first on CryptoPotato . CoinTelegraph

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ETHBTC at 0.035: Vitalik Compares Ethereum to Linux as Breakout Test Looms

Ethereum is back in focus after Vitalik Buterin compared it to Linux and BitTorrent, stressing scale without intermediaries. At the same time, the ETHBTC ratio sits at a key trendline near 0.035, with a possible breakout setup forming. Vitalik Buterin likens Ethereum to BitTorrent and Linux as he pushes “trustless” scaling vision Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin compared Ethereum to BitTorrent and Linux in a new post, arguing the network aims to combine decentralization with mass scale while keeping users independent from intermediaries. He said Ethereum’s goal is to deliver wide adoption without abandoning open access, and he framed Ethereum’s base layer as the long term “home” for people and organizations that want more autonomy. Buterin pointed to Linux as an example of software that stays free and open source while still being quietly relied on by billions of users, enterprises, and governments. He said Linux supports many mainstream distributions focused on adoption, while it also includes more “purist” versions that prioritize minimal design and technical power for users. He used that split to describe how Ethereum should support both broad usage and a high autonomy experience at the same time. He also used BitTorrent as a metaphor for how decentralized systems can scale, noting that businesses and governments use peer to peer distribution for large files. Buterin said Ethereum should mirror that combination by scaling through consensus while preserving what he called “trustlessness,” which he described as reducing reliance on middlemen. He added that enterprises often seek open, resilient systems for counterparty risk minimization, and he said that demand can align with Ethereum’s design goals. Buterin ended the post with a slogan used in Ethereum culture, writing, “This is the gwei,” a reference to a small unit of ether often used in transaction fee pricing. ETH to BTC ratio tests a long downtrend as a small bull flag forms near 0.035 Meanwhile, the ETHBTC ratio trades near 0.035 on a long term daily chart, and it now presses against a descending trendline that has capped relative strength for years. The line connects the major peaks from earlier cycles and keeps getting tested, so the current setup matters because ETH sits close to the same ceiling again. Ethereum to Bitcoin Ratio Chart. Source: StockCharts Price recently rebounded from a deep low near the prior base zone around 0.02, and then it pushed into a tighter consolidation. That consolidation looks like a short bull flag: ETHBTC climbed, then it started drifting sideways to slightly lower while holding a higher low. At the same time, the RSI in the panel above sits around 55, so momentum leans positive without showing an overheated condition. The next move likely depends on whether ETHBTC clears the trendline with a firm breakout and follow through. If buyers force a daily close above the falling line and keep the move, the ratio can rotate toward the next visible supply zone around 0.040 to 0.045, and then it can try to revisit the mid range area near 0.050 if the trend shift holds. That path would signal ETH outperforming BTC for a stretch, because the ratio would finally exit the long compression under resistance. However, the chart also supports a bearish outcome if the breakout fails. If ETHBTC rejects at the trendline again, then the flag can break down and pull price back toward the 0.033 area first. After that, a deeper slide can reopen the 0.030 zone, and then the market risks a return toward the longer term floor region near 0.02 if sellers regain control. CoinTelegraph