Whale Sell-Off and ETF Uncertainty Drag XRP Lower: Is $2.8 Just a Stop Before Deeper Losses?

XRP slipped below the critical $3.00 level this week, extending its losing streak as whale sell-offs and regulatory uncertainty weighed heavily on the market. Currently trading at $2.8, XRP has made a 3.68% decline in the past 24 hours, with trading volume rising slightly by 0.82% to $6.85 billion.

The latest downturn comes after on-chain data revealed that whales offloaded 470 million XRP tokens over the past 10 days, slashing their cumulative holdings to just 7.63 billion coins.

Large-scale exits by wallets holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP suggest institutional desks and high-net-worth traders are taking profits after XRP’s recent rally to above $3.39 earlier this month.

XRP Price Action: $2.85–$2.90 Becomes Key Battleground

Price action data shows XRP’s sharpest drop occurred between 13:00 and 15:00 UTC on August 19, when it slid from $3.04 to $2.93 as volume spiked to 137 million, nearly double the daily average.

Despite heavy selling, buyers repeatedly defended the $2.85–$2.88 zone, preventing further collapse.

Currently, XRP is consolidating near $2.85–$2.90, a sign that short-term selling pressure may be easing. Still, resistance at $3.04 has been confirmed, making a bullish recovery difficult without stronger demand.

For traders, the $2.8 level is now the most critical support to watch. A breakdown could open the door for a deeper decline, while reclaiming $3.00 would signal renewed buyer strength. Analysts note that a recovery above $3.19 is essential for momentum to shift back in favor of the bulls.

Adding to the pressure, a security audit ranked the XRP Ledger lowest among 15 major blockchains, sparking concerns over long-term resilience. Meanwhile, the U.S. SEC has delayed decisions on several XRP ETF applications, including Nasdaq’s CoinShares filing , until October, deepening regulatory uncertainty.

Until the SEC rules on ETF filings in October, XRP may remain volatile as whales continue to offload and institutional investors adjust their portfolios. Whether this dip is a healthy correction or the start of a broader downturn will depend on how well XRP can defend its current support levels in the days ahead.

Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart from Tradingview