TLDR:
- XRP price dipped to about $0.9992, placing the token 72.6% below its $3.65 record and testing a psychological level held since November 2024.
- Peter Brandt said he would immediately exchange a hypothetical 500,000-XRP holding for Bitcoin after rejecting an XRP wager on X.
- CryptoQuant tracked the taker buy and sell ratio near 0.8, with its seven-day average at 0.9, indicating aggressive seller dominance.
- Three-month XRP whale inflows to Binance fell to $61 million, but positive net inflows and weak demand leave a market bottom unconfirmed.
The XRP price slipped below $1 as veteran trader Peter Brandt renewed his criticism of the Ripple-linked token. Brandt said he would immediately convert a hypothetical 500,000-XRP holding into Bitcoin after an X user challenged his views. The remark landed as XRP traded near $0.9992, testing a key psychological threshold.
Coingecko data placed the token 72.6% below its $3.65 record from July 17, 2025. Meanwhile, derivatives activity showed sellers controlling aggressive order flow. Lower XRP whale inflows offered some relief, though positive net flows and limited buying pressure persisted. Analysts still declined to call a durable market bottom at current levels.
XRP Price Faces Seller Control Near the Critical $1 Level
Peter Brandt’s comment followed a proposed wager involving 500,000 XRP. He clarified he places his bets through futures and questioned his counterparty’s ability to pay. “Who the heck even cares about XRP?” Brandt wrote, before saying he would convert the tokens to Bitcoin. His response described a holding rather than a portfolio sale.
The veteran trader has criticized XRP and its supporters for years. He previously compared the token with the Edsel, a commercial failure in the American automobile market. Brandt adopted a constructive view in November 2024 after XRP cleared its 2023 high and formed a massive coil. By March 2025, he warned that a bearish head-and-shoulders pattern could take the XRP price toward $1.07.
The weakness has put that caution back in focus. XRP price fell 6.67% across ten days, moving from $1.074 to about $1.002. Separate market pricing later placed it near $0.9992. The move marked its first break below $1 since November 2024 and left XRP far under its record high.
Derivatives indicators also leaned bearish. CryptoQuant data placed the taker buy/sell ratio near 0.8, while its seven-day average stood near 0.9. Readings below 1 show that aggressive market sellers exceed aggressive buyers.
Rising open interest alongside falling taker-buying volume suggests leveraged positions are building while immediate demand weakens. That combination can amplify volatility if liquidations accelerate, although a sub-1 ratio has also appeared during earlier XRP rallies.
Whale Flows Ease Yet Market Bottom Signals Stay Unclear
Supply-side activity offers a mixed reading. CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost said the three-month average of XRP whale inflows to Binance fell to $61 million. That was the lowest level since 2021, against $456 million in January 2025 and $355 million in October 2025.
Lower deposits suggest holders are sending fewer tokens toward the exchange, reducing sell-side supply. Still, net flows were positive by $18.8 million, meaning deposits exceeded withdrawals. Darkfost said weaker whale transfers were constructive, yet demand had not recovered enough to confirm an XRP price bottom.
Alphractal founder Joao Wedson presented a deeper downside scenario. He said a move below $0.60 would not surprise him, citing an average-price metric near $0.54. That indicator estimates the market’s aggregate acquisition level. Wedson observed that the XRP price has approached it around earlier market bottoms, often before consolidation and a later breakout.
The scenario is not a confirmed target or timeline. Historical relationships can fail, while shifts in Bitcoin, liquidity, and risk appetite can alter the XRP price path. Polymarket traders assigned a 65% chance to a below-$1 outcome, reflecting positioning rather than certainty.
Liquidation risk centers on the interaction between leverage and the $1 threshold. A deeper break could force longs to close and direct attention toward lower cost-basis zones. Conversely, stronger spot demand could help absorb sells and lift the taker ratio toward 1.
CryptoQuant treats that boundary as neutral, with readings above it showing aggressive buyers have overtaken sellers. The readings kept the XRP price below that confirmation point.
