XRP News Today: Institutional Shifts Rewriting XRP's Market Story

Coinbase's XRP holdings have seen a significant decline in recent weeks, sparking discussions around the dynamics of institutional and retail investor activity in the cryptocurrency market. According to data from XRPScan and XRPwallets, Coinbase has reduced its XRP balance from approximately 780.13 million to 199.47 million, representing a 69% drop since the second quarter of 2025 and a 57% reduction in the past month alone. This dramatic decline is primarily attributed to outflows from institutional investors.

At the time of writing, Coinbase's remaining XRP is stored in 11 cold wallets, with each containing 16.5 million XRP tokens. This is a sharp drop from the 52 cold wallets it had in early June, which held a total of 970 million XRP. XRPwallets, an XRP commentator on X, noted the possibility of these large movements being linked to BlackRock, citing the latter’s recent collaboration with Coinbase to allow institutional investors easier access to digital assets. This partnership initially focused on Bitcoin but has likely expanded to XRP due to its increasing demand among institutional investors.

The current landscape suggests that the majority of XRP held in Coinbase's wallets may now be owned by retail traders. XRPwallets speculated that other major exchanges such as Uphold, Binance, and Upbit could eventually show similar balances, around 200 million XRP each, as Ripple’s distributions move through the system. This would leave about 1 billion XRP across exchanges and another 900 million in retail cold wallets. These figures imply a shift in the market structure, with institutional channels absorbing XRP and leaving exchanges increasingly as platforms for retail activity. Supporting this trend, Upbit and Uphold have also experienced significant declines in their XRP balances during the same period as Coinbase.

XRP's price currently stands at $2.83, up 0.8% in the past 24 hours, but it remains below the $3 resistance level. This level has repeatedly rejected the token this month, raising questions about its near-term trajectory. Reduced exchange balances are often seen as a sign of decreasing sell pressure, which could support price stability. The market cap of XRP is currently at $168.71 billion, with a circulating supply of 59 billion XRP tokens. This places XRP among the top assets in terms of market capitalization and reflects its role as a key player in the cross-border payment sector.

XRP's recent price movements highlight the volatility and uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market. Despite a 20% increase over the past three months, the token has seen a 2% drop since Friday morning. These fluctuations underscore the complex interplay of factors influencing XRP, including institutional demand, regulatory developments, and broader market trends. Analysts note that while XRP's adoption in enterprise solutions and cross-border payments is growing, its future price will depend on continued innovation, regulatory clarity, and market sentiment.

In summary, the recent reductions in XRP holdings by Coinbase and other major exchanges reflect a significant shift in the market dynamics for the token. Institutional demand is playing an increasingly prominent role, while retail activity remains a key component of the exchange landscape. As XRP continues to navigate its price challenges, market participants will be closely watching how these trends evolve and what implications they may have for the token's future.

Source:

[1] Mitrade Insights - "Coinbase Wallet Shows Massive XRP Cuts, What's Going ..." (https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-1093485-20250904)

[2] Coinbase - "XRP Price, XRP Price, Live Charts, and Marketcap" (https://www.coinbase.com/price/xrp)