XRP price remained pinned near the $1 threshold on August 17, with the token trading at about $0.9972 after failing to reclaim $1.0005 during a brief rebound attempt. The market’s focus has narrowed to a simple question: can $1 hold, or does the next leg lower reach $0.95?
The most important number is not the daily move but the supply-demand imbalance behind it. US spot XRP ETFs are absorbing roughly 109 million tokens per month, while Ripple’s escrow structure adds an estimated 200 million to 400 million XRP into circulation over the same period.
That mismatch helps explain why higher trading volume has not translated into a sustained recovery. XRP is still one of the largest digital assets by market value, but it has lagged Bitcoin, Ether and other major tokens during the latest market stretch.
Key Facts
- XRP traded near $0.9972 after moving within a 24-hour range of $0.988 to $1.007.
- The token’s market capitalization stood near $62.6 billion on a circulating supply of about 62.68 billion XRP.
- US spot XRP ETFs have attracted roughly $1.53 billion in cumulative inflows, but combined assets under management were about $994 million as of August 17.
- ETF products hold about 994.7 million XRP, equal to roughly 1.6% of circulating supply.
- Estimated monthly escrow-related net supply of 200 million to 400 million XRP exceeds ETF absorption of about 109 million tokens.
XRP Price
XRP’s price action has become increasingly compressed around the $1 level, a zone that acted as support for much of the summer before turning into resistance. The token set a fresh cycle low at $0.9877, then stalled almost exactly at $1.0005 on the rebound. For technical traders, that is a clear sign that former buyers are now selling into rallies.
The broader backdrop has not been favorable for risk assets. Treasury yields climbed to multiyear highs, equity futures weakened, and crypto sentiment stayed cautious. In that environment, underperforming assets tend to suffer most, and XRP has clearly fallen into that category. The token is down more than 72% from its 2025 peak of $3.657, making it one of the weakest performers among large-cap digital assets in the current cycle.
What matters for investors is that XRP’s weakness is no longer just a chart story. It is also a structural market story. The original thesis behind spot XRP ETFs was that regulated institutional demand would help absorb persistent token supply. Instead, monthly net inflows slowed from $131 million in May to $59 million in June and just $27 million in July, suggesting demand has lost momentum well before supply pressures eased.
Until ETF demand consistently outpaces escrow-related supply, XRP is likely to struggle to turn brief rebounds into a durable uptrend.
Why ETF Flows and Escrow Matter
The ETF complex remains meaningful, but not yet powerful enough to reshape XRP’s market structure. Nearly 1 billion XRP has been locked into regulated fund products, which removes some supply from active circulation. Still, that represents less than 2% of circulating supply, a far smaller share than comparable ETF ownership in Bitcoin.
Ripple’s escrow mechanism adds another layer. While the company unlocks 1 billion XRP monthly, a large portion is typically relocked. Even after that adjustment, net additions of 200 million to 400 million tokens remain a recurring headwind. At current absorption rates, ETF buyers are not keeping pace. That arithmetic is one reason price gains tied to institutional product launches have faded.
Implications for Investors
For portfolio managers and active traders, XRP now sits at a critical intersection of technical support and structural demand concerns. The immediate watch level is $0.9877. A decisive break below that low would place $0.95 in focus, with limited support visible before $0.84. On the upside, XRP would need to recover $1.0005, then push through $1.05 and eventually the $1.18 to $1.22 area to suggest that the bearish pattern is weakening.
Investors should also monitor fund flow data more closely than headline announcements. The gap between cumulative inflows of roughly $1.53 billion and current ETF assets of about $994 million implies aggregate paper losses of about 35% for holders in these products. That matters because weak performance can discourage fresh allocations from advisers, wealth managers and institutions that might otherwise average into positions.
There are still constructive elements in the wider XRP ecosystem. Ripple has expanded its institutional footprint, its dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD has grown to about $1.78 billion in market capitalization, and activity on the XRP Ledger has increased in some areas. But those developments have not yet translated into sustained token demand. For investors, that means distinguishing between progress in Ripple’s business ecosystem and appreciation drivers for XRP itself.
The next phase for XRP is likely to be decided by three variables: whether $1 support breaks, whether ETF inflows recover meaningfully, and whether the broader crypto market stabilizes. Until those signals improve together, XRP may remain trapped between fragile support and persistent supply pressure.