As 2025 draws to a close, the XRP token is trading near $1.86, reflecting a subdued performance following a challenging December. The digital asset posted a decline of approximately 11% to 13% in the year’s final month, cementing an overall negative return for the calendar year. Despite this price weakness, activity from institutional investors persists, and development within the XRP ecosystem continues to advance.
Institutional Demand Holds Firm
A notable area of stability is the continued inflow into U.S.-listed XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Cumulative net inflows have reached roughly $1.12 billion, with total assets under management standing at about $1.25 billion. In a significant milestone, Franklin Templeton’s XRP ETF surpassed the threshold of 100 million coins held, signaling sustained institutional interest even in the face of a depreciating market price.
Price Action and Technical Context
The current trading range for XRP is situated between a support zone of $1.84 to $1.89 and a resistance level spanning $1.95 to $1.98. Its 24-hour trading volume is approximately $1.98 billion, supporting a market capitalization of around $112.5 billion.
This December weakness extends a negative trend from November, which saw an 11.8% drop. Year-to-date, XRP is down about 11% from its opening price of $2.08 on January 1, 2025. From a technical analysis perspective, the asset is trading below all key moving averages: the 50-day average sits at $2.12, while the 200-day average is at $2.40. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is near 39, approaching oversold territory. Critical price levels to watch are $1.77 on the lower side and the $1.95 to $2.00 band above. Thin trading volumes typical of the year-end period are likely to contribute to increased price volatility.
New DeFi Utility Launches
Amid the market downturn, a new decentralized finance (DeFi) application called earnXRP launched on December 23 and 24. Developed through a collaboration between Upshift, Clearstar, and the Flare Network, the platform allows XRP holders to generate yields without selling their tokens.
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The mechanism involves users depositing FXRP—an over-collateralized 1:1 representation of XRP on the ERC-20 standard within the Flare Network. This capital is then deployed across various DeFi strategies. In return, participants receive earnXRP tokens, which represent proof of their stake and accrued yields denominated in XRP. The platform aims to simplify the complex management typically associated with engaging in multiple DeFi protocols simultaneously.
Divergent On-Chain Signals
Data from the XRP Ledger presents a mixed picture. Early in December, network velocity—a metric gauging how frequently XRP changes hands—reached its 2025 peak at 0.0324. However, the creation of new addresses has recently declined to an average of 3,440, down from 4,501 on December 1 and roughly 13,500 in mid-November.
The behavior of large investors, or “whales,” also shows divergence. The total value of tokens held by addresses containing over 100,000 XRP decreased from $108 billion to $104 billion. Concurrently, the number of wallets holding at least 100 million XRP shrank by 20.6% over the past eight weeks. Interestingly, the remaining major holders have increased their positions, with their collective balances reaching a seven-year high of over 48 billion XRP.
The interplay between persistent institutional engagement, new utility offerings, and conflicting on-chain metrics sets a complex stage for XRP as it transitions into 2026.
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