XRP Volume Crashes 37% Despite Price Jump: Is It Concerning?

XRP is trading up early Sunday, extending its weekend recovery alongside the rest of the markets. Altcoins posted broader gains in quiet Sunday trading as the markets considered a surge in precious metals.

XRP reached an intraday high of $1.877 after rising for two straight days since Dec. 26. XRP has reversed a five-day drop in the past week, spanning from Dec. 21 to 25, as traders turned risk-off in quiet pre-holiday trading.

At the time of writing, XRP was trading up 1.7% in the last 24 hours to $1.86. Despite XRP’s price recovery, volume seems to be lagging behind, suggesting traders’ conviction remains lacking.

In the last 24 hours, XRP’s trading volume has dropped. According to CoinMarketCap data, XRP volume has dropped 37% in the last 24 hours to $1.06 billion.

The drop in volume may not be concerning, given that liquidity remains thin across the crypto market during the holidays. The pattern fits what tends to happen around major holidays, where trading volumes drop and positioning becomes more defensive.

Amid thin holiday liquidity, broader risk appetite has largely faded, with price action for major cryptocurrencies remaining choppy into year-end. Bitcoin rebound attempts have not shown consistent follow-through, and that lack of momentum has kept speculative corners of the market under pressure.

New phase arrives for crypto market

According to Coinbase Institutional, crypto markets are entering a phase where activity concentration might matter more than narrative momentum. A new outlook from the major crypto exchange says 2026 might be a test of whether crypto’s core markets can scale under more disciplined conditions.

Coinbase highlights a pillar of growth for the market in 2026 to center on stablecoins and payments, which it describes as crypto’s most persistent source of real-world usage.

Coinbase states that payment activity is becoming increasingly intertwined with other parts of the crypto ecosystem, including automated trading strategies and emerging AI-driven applications.