XRP Network Hits Near-Million Daily Transactions as Price Slumps – Whales, RLUSD, and Fed Paint Complex Picture
18.06.2026 - 20:54:37 | boerse-global.de
The XRP Ledger processed roughly 770,000 transactions on June 16, with direct payments accounting for 427,000 of those – more than half of the day’s total. The preceding day had been even busier: over 900,000 transactions, including 403,000 payments. The network clocked 23.49 transactions per second, with new ledgers closing every 3.82 seconds on average. Yet the token itself is struggling to hold ground. XRP traded at $1.14 on June 16, down 6% from the prior close and nearly 40% below its start of the year.
The Federal Reserve poured cold water on any near-term relief. Holding its benchmark rate steady, the central bank signalled fewer rate cuts ahead, sending risk assets into retreat. XRP slid further to $1.17, losing 3.8% on the day, and its year-to-date decline widened to roughly 38%. The current level now sits miles from the 52-week high of $3.65, and technical analysts view $1.17 as a final line of defence. A break below it could invite further losses.
Whales are taking a different view. Large holders now control 74% of the total XRP supply, having added 1.53 billion tokens over the past six months. Institutional interest is also pouring in through the US spot ETFs, which have pulled in $1.44 billion since their launch in November 2025. After a brief lull, those products are again recording daily million-dollar inflows this week.
The on-chain activity that surged on June 15-16 goes beyond payments. The built-in decentralised exchange on the XRP Ledger generated roughly 358,000 OfferCreate transactions – the second-largest category for the day. That signals usage breadth: both payments and DEX trading are running at elevated levels simultaneously. Smaller data points add colour: 771 new accounts were created, 6,065 addresses were active, and only four escrow finishes were recorded – a category that remains negligible.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying XRP?
But high network throughput does not mechanically lift the token price. The decoupling is the central puzzle. While the ledger processes close to a million daily transactions, XRP’s market value fails to follow. The narrative has shifted from regulatory headlines and ETF speculation to tangible, verifiable ledger activity. Whether two consecutive high-volume days represent a trend or a blip will become clearer over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the futures market is flashing warning signs. On Binance, the estimated leverage for XRP hit a new yearly high of 0.1899, making the token extremely vulnerable to cascading liquidations. Open interest has collapsed from $10 billion last summer to just $2.55 billion. Historically, such a dramatic washout has often preceded violent price moves – in either direction.
Ripple itself is building an alternative growth lever. The company invested in the African payments platform Flutterwave, aiming to introduce its stablecoin RLUSD across 34 markets on the continent. The stablecoin ecosystem on the XRP Ledger is expanding fast: its total market capitalisation has surged from $277 million at the start of the year to $907 million, with RLUSD commanding an 84% share. Ripple is targeting $1 billion in annual revenue from sources outside XRP by the end of the year. The Africa push provides the foundation for that ambition.
XRP at a turning point? This analysis reveals what investors need to know now.
With bearish macro pressure, extreme retail leverage, and a cleaned-out futures market, XRP sits at a crossroads. The whale accumulation and steady ETF inflows suggest patient capital is building positions. The network activity points to a functional, growing ecosystem. But until the token can hold above $1.17 and reclaim the $1.20 mark, the charts will argue that the pain trade is not over.
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