XRP News Today: Whale Opens $1.10 Million Long Position on XRP with 20x Leverage

A significant development has occurred in the XRP market, with a prominent whale on Hyperliquid opening a substantial long position. According to a post by crypto analyst Xaif, a whale identified by the wallet address 0x9d8c has taken a $1.10 million long position on XRP with 20x leverage at $2.2112. This aggressive move has sparked renewed interest and speculation about the potential future movements of XRP.

The leveraged position, executed on Hyperliquid, a decentralized perpetuals exchange, demonstrates a high level of conviction. With 20x leverage, even a minor 5% price swing in XRP could result in either significant profits or substantial losses. The trader's decision to go long at $2.2112 indicates a strong belief in XRP's short-term upside potential, especially given the market's sensitivity to whale behavior and macro-level news.

This is not the first time Hyperliquid whales have made headlines. In May, a similar high-profile trader exited XRP and Ethereum longs for a combined profit of around $7.5 million, while maintaining a position in Solana. This pattern of booking profits and re-entering on perceived dips highlights a sophisticated trading strategy driven by both on-chain analytics and market sentiment.

The timing of this position suggests a calculated move. XRP has recently shown resilience, trading between $2.10 and $2.30 while outperforming several large-cap cryptocurrencies. Just weeks ago, whales accumulated over $782 million worth of XRP, leading to a short-lived rally past $2.60. The latest long from wallet 0x9d8c may be an attempt to front-run the next leg up.

Technically, XRP has been testing critical resistance levels. The $2.20–$2.30 range has become a battleground zone, and a clean breakout could trigger a flood of momentum trades. The whale’s position size hints at an expectation that such a breakout is imminent.

However, the risk cannot be ignored. With leverage comes liquidation risk. A drop below $2.10 could pressure this position, especially if the market turns risk-off. However, whales like 0x9d8c typically act on deep insight, tracking funding rates, order book depth, and institutional flows. These traders often anticipate market movements before retail catches on.

This trade also comes at a time when institutional interest in XRP is growing. Rumors of a potential XRP spot ETF, combined with Ripple’s expanding regulatory clarity and global partnerships, have added fuel to the long-term bullish narrative. While speculative, this context strengthens the rationale behind the whale’s bold move.

If XRP pushes above $2.30 with volume, this whale could be vindicated quickly. On the other hand, weakness below $2.10 might trigger stop-loss cascades or forced liquidations, further increasing volatility. Either way, traders are watching closely because when whales move, markets listen.

Xaif’s alert has effectively turned this single trade into a sentiment indicator for the entire XRP ecosystem. And if history is any guide, this may just be the spark before the next XRP wave.