XRP Holders Surpass 7.7 Million for the First Time

In the past two days, the altcoin's price jumped 14%, and trading volume soared 60%.

The number of XRP holders has exceeded 7.7 million for the first time in 13 years, as noted by analysts at Santiment.

👫 XRP Ledger now has more than 7.7M holders (non-empty wallets) for the first time in its 13+ year history, as its usage continues to grow.

📈 Additionally, Monday closed with a 5-week high of 46,767 active addresses as $XRP‘s price jumped +14% in 48-hour span, breaching $1.60. pic.twitter.com/SKTO5L4W6o

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) March 17, 2026

On March 16, the number of active addresses on the XRP Ledger reached a five-week high of 46,767. Amid this surge in activity, the altcoin’s price jumped 14% over the past two days. At the time of writing, the asset is trading around $1.5.

XRP trading volume surged by over 60% in the past 24 hours to $5.2 billion. The coin’s market capitalization reached $92.2 billion, surpassing BNB, which has a market value of $90.9 billion.

Open interest on Binance rose to 349 million XRP from 222.79 million in October 2025, when the altcoin was trading at $2.39. This represents a 59% increase, even though the price is currently 37% lower.

Traders are not closing positions but are opening new ones during the recovery. This contrasts with the deleveraging period that defined the market in January and February.

Why is XRP Rising?

The main driver of the surge is retail investors from South Korea, primarily aged 40-50, according to DL News.

“On the wave of the recent stock market rally, they are returning to crypto and making a big bet on XRP,” noted Tiger Research analyst Ryan Yoon in a comment to the publication.

This is evident from trading volumes on local exchanges: on Upbit and Bithumb, the altcoin leads the spot market. XRP accounts for nearly 19% of all transactions on both platforms.

In the past 24 hours, the volume of altcoin transactions on all five regulated exchanges in the country exceeded $621 million.

According to Yoon, the Ripple-associated token has a reputation as a volatile asset in Korea. However, for middle-aged traders, it remains “the most familiar,” which creates “explosive trading activity.”

A significant portion of the funds comes from investors exiting declining foreign stocks.

“The rise in XRP volumes on Upbit and Bithumb is the result of a massive liquidity shift from the Korean and American stock markets back into cryptocurrencies. Stocks have entered a consolidation phase, and those who kept capital on the sidelines are now seeking new volatility,” the expert explained.

ETF Momentum

Market participants are also continuing to pour capital into spot exchange-traded funds based on XRP. Products from Canary, 21Shares, Grayscale, Bitwise, and Franklin Templeton emerged on the US market in mid-November.

In the past four months, cumulative inflows into these instruments have reached $1.2 billion. The total assets under management by these companies are estimated at $1 billion — 1.1% of XRP’s issuance.

Back in February, Ripple and XRP Ledger developers introduced a plan to implement new DeFi options on the network. These are intended to enhance the utility of the native token as an intermediary and settlement asset.