XRP stalls below $1.60 despite a record 5.66M retail holders – Why?

Overall investor interest in Ripple [XRP] is slowly making a comeback, led by retail. According to Santiment data, the number of retail holders, particularly those holding below 100 XRP, has risen to a record 5.66 million addresses. 

Similarly, cohorts holding 100-100K XRP have hit a new all-time high of 2.01 million wallets. 

Interestingly, even whale cohorts holding over 100K XRP coins had seen a slight rebound in renewed accumulation in March. Worth noting that these whale wallets have been net sellers since late 2025. 

However, as of writing, they had temporarily paused selling pressure and added little exposure to XRP. 

XRP whale demand turns positive

In fact, the above data was supported by the 30-day Whale Flow, which tracks overall demand amongst the biggest holders. These major bag holders trimmed their exposure between July and November 2025. 

The dumping continued in December and early January, but eased afterwards. In March, the metric turned positive for the first time since July 2025, suggesting that whales were net buying XRP. 

Collectively, the renewed demand boosted XRP price recovery by 21% in the first half of March, rallying the altcoin from $1.3 to 1.6. 

Surprisingly, the recent price pullback after the hawkish Fed rate pause has not tapered the March holding spree, at least as of writing. If the bullish on-chain metric persists, then XRP could front another massive upswing if broader market conditions turn positive again. 

Can XRP bulls clear the $1.6 sell wall

On the price charts, the recent price rejection happened at $1.6, a key sell wall (red zone) that blocked another breakout attempt in February. Over the same period, bulls had used the $1.34 support zone as a re-entry level into the market. 

If the sideways structure extends, buying at the demand zone and selling at the supply zone would make sense. 

Conversely, a sustained selling pressure below $1.30 would invalidate the sideways outlook. Overall, despite the recent price pullback, XRP was seeing strong accumulation from retail and whales alike. 

Final Summary

• Retail and whale activity increased in March amid a renewed accumulation spree for XRP.
• But the altcoin’s bullish breakout attempt was cut short at $1.6, the resistance level, and may extend its $1.3-$1.6 price range.