XRP News Today: South Korea Fuels XRP's $75B Surge Amid $1.5B Whale Exodus

XRP has staged a remarkable recovery, regaining over $75 billion in market value following a sharp decline triggered by President Donald Trump's announcement of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports. The token's price rebounded from a 10-month low of $1.58 to $2.60 within days, driven by aggressive institutional buying and renewed investor confidence. On-chain data indicates whale selloffs totaling $1.5 billion over the past month, yet renewed inflows have pushed daily trading volume to $10.25 billion, a 17% increase in 24 hours .

The price action reflects a technical reversal, with XRP reclaiming key moving averages, including the 200-day simple moving average at $2.58. A Spent Output Profit Ratio (SOPR) of 0.95, the lowest in six months, signals that most holders sold at a loss during the crash-a pattern historically preceding market bottoms. Analysts highlight that the token's SOPR has mirrored similar rebounds in April 2025, suggesting a potential price base forming near $2.38. If sustained, this could target $3.10–$3.35 .

South Korea emerged as a pivotal market for XRP's resurgence. The XRP/KRW pair dominated trading volume on Upbit, the country's largest exchange, with $269.22 million in activity over 24 hours, surpassing Binance. Notably, $161.62 million of this volume occurred within a single hour, raising speculation about large-scale whale activity or strategic positioning ahead of regulatory developments. South Korean traders accounted for 22.39% of global XRP trading volume, with the XRP/KRW pair contributing 484.46 million XRP to the 2.1641 billion XRP traded globally in the same period .

The rebound follows a 50% wipe-out in market value during the tariff-driven collapse, which erased $19 billion in crypto liquidations within minutes. While broader markets remained risk-off-Dow and Nasdaq indices declined sharply-selective institutional inflows into XRP signaled anticipation of macroeconomic clarity. Analysts note that a sustained close above $2.59 could open the path to $2.70–$2.75, with failure to defend $2.50 risking a retest of $2.42 Coindesk^[1].

Regulatory developments also loom large. Ripple's pending U.S. banking license application, though unconfirmed, has fueled speculation about institutional demand for XRP-backed liquidity. Open interest in XRP derivatives rose to $1.5 billion, a 3% increase in 24 hours, though futures positions declined by 33%, indicating a shift toward perpetual contracts amid volatility .

Looking ahead, the token faces critical resistance at $2.70–$2.95, where approximately 3.8 billion XRP were acquired. Breaking above $2.50 could solidify the short-term trajectory, while a breakdown below $2.30 may expose it to further downside toward $2.00 .