XRP Holds $1.49 as Active Addresses Explode 654% This Week

XRP held near $1.50 this week, up 1.32% to $1.49, as traders weighed a 654% surge in active network addresses against a broader crypto rally. The token had already jumped 50% over the prior week. Global crypto market capitalization rose 2.47% to $2.68 trillion, with Bitcoin topping $80,000 for the first time in nearly four months and Ethereum trading near $2,500, its highest level in about seven months.

Active Addresses Surge, But the Signal Is Mixed

Analyst Ali Charts reported that XRP Ledger active addresses jumped from 47,180 to 356,070, a 654.71% increase. That figure sits well above the network’s baseline growth this month, when daily active addresses averaged roughly 35,700 through mid-August, itself already up 35% from July’s average near 26,400.

Spikes of this size typically signal a sharp jump in network participation and tend to coincide with higher price volatility, though they don’t guarantee a sustained rally. XRP has shown this divergence before: active addresses climbed 84% in early August while the price sat near $1, roughly 72% below its 2025 all-time high. Network usage and price performance haven’t consistently moved together this year, so the current spike is worth watching rather than treating as a confirmed catalyst.

Institutional flows offer a more measured picture. Spot XRP ETFs pulled in $39.78 million between August 17 and August 21, their strongest week since May, while Bitcoin ETFs added $1.9 billion and Ethereum ETFs brought in $697 million over the same stretch, extending Bitcoin’s inflow streak to seven straight days.

Options Volume Jumps Nearly 300% as Traders Hedge

XRP derivatives activity sent mixed signals this week:

• Total derivatives volume fell 8.19% to $8.07 billion, pointing to less short-term trading activity
• Open interest rose 0.35% to $3.73 billion, showing traders largely held their leveraged positions rather than closing them
• Options volume jumped 298.79% to $36.70 million, reflecting a sharp rise in hedging and speculative activity
• Options open interest climbed 25.73% to $140.74 million, as traders positioned for larger price swings

That combination, a slower futures market alongside a fast-growing options market, suggests traders are getting more selective about how they position rather than pulling back from the market altogether.

At the time of writing, XRP traded at $1.4897, up 1% over the latest four-hour session, consolidating just below the $1.50 resistance that has capped its rally from the $1.00 region. The RSI sits at 59.94, indicating positive but not extreme momentum, while the MACD line remains below its signal line, a setup that could mean further consolidation before the next breakout attempt.

A four-hour close above $1.50 would open the door to $1.60, with sustained demand potentially extending gains toward $1.70. Failure to clear $1.50 could send XRP back to support near $1.40, with a break below that level exposing $1.30 as the next target.

Conclusion

XRP’s structure stays bullish as long as price holds above $1.40, but the surge in network activity alone isn’t enough to guarantee a breakout given how often address growth and price have decoupled this year. The next confirmation traders should watch for is a decisive close above $1.50, not the address count itself.