XRP Price Drops Steeper Than Others: Expert Claims Whale Manipulation

TLDR

• XRP has experienced a 13.31% price drop this week, outpacing the losses of many other major cryptocurrencies.
• Experts suggest that large whales might be targeting XRP to suppress its price and maintain Bitcoin and Ethereum’s dominance.
• XRP’s market capitalization recently fell below $100 billion, marking a significant decline from its peak of $216 billion in July 2025.
• The asset has seen an $18 billion loss in market cap in just one day, making it one of the biggest losers in the market.
• Vincent Van Code, an XRP community figure, claims that the decline in XRP’s value could be the result of coordinated manipulation by Bitcoin whales.

The ongoing downturn in the cryptocurrency market has left many assets struggling to maintain value. However, XRP seems to be facing steeper losses compared to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others. Market analysts are beginning to suggest that large whales might be targeting XRP, causing its price to drop more aggressively than other digital currencies.

XRP Price: Affected by Coordinated Attacks?

XRP has recently seen its price drop more than 13% this week, reaching a significant support level of $1.3. The cryptocurrency lost over $18 billion in market capitalization in just one day, making it one of the biggest losers in the crypto market. Some market observers believe that this price decline could be the result of coordinated attacks from large whales.

These whales are believed to have an interest in suppressing the price of XRP, which they consider a potential threat to the dominance of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Software engineer and XRP community figure Vincent Van Code suggested that XRP might be facing manipulation due to its increasing competition with Bitcoin. He pointed out that the drastic fall in XRP’s value could be part of a strategy to weaken its position in the market.

XRP’s market capitalization recently dropped below the $100 billion mark, sitting at $82.7 billion as of February 2026. This is a stark decline from its peak of $216 billion in July 2025. Despite its recent losses, XRP is still holding a place among the top cryptocurrencies, but its overall performance has been weaker than that of many other assets.

The decline in XRP’s market cap is concerning, especially when compared to other major cryptocurrencies like BNB and Cardano. While BNB lost $12 billion and Cardano lost $1.48 billion during the market downturn, XRP’s losses were the most severe. The asset continues to struggle at the $1.3 support level, trying to avoid further declines.

The Role of Bitcoin Whales in XRP’s Decline

In recent commentary, Van Code also highlighted the connection between the XRP/BTC pair and the decline in XRP’s price. He argued that Bitcoin whales were pulling out capital from XRP, possibly in a coordinated effort to depress its value. This is seen as a deliberate attempt to keep Bitcoin’s dominance intact, with XRP viewed as a potential competitor in the market.

While Changpeng Zhao (CZ) maintains that most of his portfolio is in BNB, some commentators, like Van Code, believe that figures like CZ could still be working to suppress XRP. They view XRP as a threat that could undermine Bitcoin’s stronghold in the cryptocurrency market. However, there is no solid proof to confirm these claims, leaving them speculative for now.

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