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2 months ago
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Institutional liquidations dominated trading as 470 million XRP were offloaded across major exchanges during the Aug. 21–22 window, triggering a sharp selloff.
Updated Aug 22, 2025, 2:19 p.m. Published Aug 22, 2025, 2:19 p.m.
(CoinDesk Data)
What to know:
- A massive selloff of 470 million XRP tokens led to a significant price drop and resistance at $2.92.
- The SEC's delay in ruling on XRP ETF applications adds to the regulatory uncertainty impacting the market.
- XRP's security ranking is among the lowest, further contributing to the bearish market sentiment.
XRP Spiked 3% as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell firmly put a September rate cut on the table on Friday, causing bitcoin BTC$116,011.21 and major tokens to move higher.
470 million token selloff drove volume spikes and heavy resistance at $2.92, while ETF delays and weak security rankings compound bearish pressure.
News Background
• Institutional liquidations dominated trading as 470 million XRP were offloaded across major exchanges during the Aug. 21–22 window, triggering a sharp selloff.
• On-chain settlement volumes surged 500% to 844 million tokens on Aug. 18, one of the largest spikes this year, signaling adoption growth despite market weakness.
• The SEC postponed rulings on XRP ETF applications, including Nasdaq’s CoinShares filing, now expected in October. The delay adds to regulatory uncertainty.
• A security assessment placed XRPL at the lowest ranking among 15 blockchains, raising concerns about network robustness and adding to bearish sentiment.
Price Action Summary
• XRP declined 3.1% in the 24-hour session from Aug. 21 13:00 to Aug. 22 12:00, falling from $2.89 to $2.80.
• The token ranged $0.12, a 4.25% volatility band, between a $2.92 peak and $2.80 trough.
• The sharpest move occurred at 19:00 on Aug. 21, when XRP was rejected at $2.92 on 69.1M volume, confirming major resistance.
• Final hour trading (Aug. 22 11:24–12:23) saw XRP drop 2.5% from $2.82 to $2.80 on surging volume of 7.2M, confirming bearish continuation.
• Support emerged near $2.80–$2.85, but accumulation interest weakened with each retest.
Technical Indicators
• Resistance hardened at $2.92 on 69.1M volume rejection.
• Support identified at $2.80–$2.85 zone, though weakening on repeated tests.
• Volume spiked to 96M at 11:00 Aug. 22, confirming bearish follow-through.
• Trading range of $0.12 (4.25%) highlights volatility concentration.
• Final hour selloff of 2.5% with 7.2M volume validated bearish continuation.
What Traders Are Watching
• Whether $2.80 can hold as support; a break risks acceleration toward $2.75.
• ETF-related headlines, with October decisions key to broader institutional flows.
• Whale accumulation patterns — on-chain adoption growing, but price failing to reflect fundamentals.
• $2.92–$3.00 resistance zone as breakout trigger for bullish reversal.
Shaurya Malwa
Shaurya is the Co-Leader of the CoinDesk tokens and data team in Asia with a focus on crypto derivatives, DeFi, market microstructure, and protocol analysis.
Shaurya holds over $1,000 in BTC, ETH, SOL, AVAX, SUSHI, CRV, NEAR, YFI, YFII, SHIB, DOGE, USDT, USDC, BNB, MANA, MLN, LINK, XMR, ALGO, VET, CAKE, AAVE, COMP, ROOK, TRX, SNX, RUNE, FTM, ZIL, KSM, ENJ, CKB, JOE, GHST, PERP, BTRFLY, OHM, BANANA, ROME, BURGER, SPIRIT, and ORCA.
He provides over $1,000 to liquidity pools on Compound, Curve, SushiSwap, PancakeSwap, BurgerSwap, Orca, AnySwap, SpiritSwap, Rook Protocol, Yearn Finance, Synthetix, Harvest, Redacted Cartel, OlympusDAO, Rome, Trader Joe, and SUN.
CD Analytics
CoinDesk Analytics is CoinDesk's AI-powered tool that, with the help of human reporters, generates market data analysis, price movement reports, and financial content focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain markets.
All content produced by CoinDesk Analytics is undergoes human editing by CoinDesk's editorial team before publication. The tool synthesizes market data and information from CoinDesk Data and other sources to create timely market reports, with all external sources clearly attributed within each article.
CoinDesk Analytics operates under CoinDesk's AI content guidelines, which prioritize accuracy, transparency, and editorial oversight. Learn more about CoinDesk's approach to AI-generated content in our AI policy.
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