XRP price prediction: whales stir as XRP slips 2% but clings to $3.20 — breakout or sharp reversal ahead?

Economic Times

a day ago

XRP is back in the spotlight after a 2% dip, with prices still holding above $3.20. Traders are now split — is this the setup for a big breakout or the start of a sharp reversal?
XRP is holding precariously above the $3.20 threshold after a whipsaw session that saw prices sink to $3.14 before clawing back some ground. The pullback comes just a week after the token's biggest single-week gain in over three years — a surge driven by Ripple's decisive legal victory over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on August 7. That win, which removed a years-long regulatory cloud, was enough to catapult XRP back into the $3+ range for the first time since 2021. But the glow has dimmed, and the market has shifted its gaze to an entirely different battleground: an escalating tug-of-war between aggressive whale accumulation and equally large-scale profit-taking.
Current price: $3.22 ▼ -1.88%
$3.22 ▼ -1.88% 24-hour range: $3.14 – $3.32
$3.14 – $3.32 Market cap: $178.6 billion (CoinMarketCap, August 14, 2025)
In the past 48 hours, on-chain data from analytics firm AInvest shows large holders accumulated nearly 900 million XRP — worth roughly $2.88 billion at current prices — in what some traders see as a calculated effort to push the token toward the $3.60 zone. This buying spree has repeatedly shored up the $3.13–$3.15 support range, an area that's now been tested four times since last week's rally. 'It's classic whale defense,' one veteran OTC trader told me. 'They're not letting it slip below a level that could trigger cascading liquidations.' But blockchain intelligence compiled by Cointelegraph points to a different undercurrent: whales unloading about $1.9 billion worth of XRP in the same period. If this distribution outpaces the accumulation trend, the bullish structure could fracture — opening the way for a deeper pullback toward $2.90 or even $2.65.
Support: $3.13–$3.15 remains the short-term floor. A sustained breach would likely trigger a wave of stop-loss orders.
Immediate resistance: $3.27–$3.31 — a zone marked by Fibonacci retracement clusters and multiple intraday rejections.
Upside triggers: A clean breakout above $3.31 could draw momentum traders back in, targeting $3.60 first and potentially $4.50 if a bull-flag pattern confirms on the daily chart.
Downside risk: Losing $3.13 raises the probability of a retest at $2.90, which aligns with the previously broken descending trendline from the April highs.
Notably, HAMED_AZ, a crypto market technician with 184k X (Twitter) followers, has flagged $2.90 as a 'healthy reset' level before any sustained push beyond January 2018's $3.84 all-time high. The SEC case conclusion on August 7 unleashed a 12% single-day jump in XRP as traders priced in long-awaited regulatory certainty. Yet momentum faded within days, partly because short-term speculators locked in profits and partly because of fresh competitive noise.
The standout name here is Remittix (RTX), a cross-border payments token already being dubbed 'XRP 2.0' by some analysts. RTX has raised $18.9 million in its presale, with a product roadmap targeting remittance corridors where Ripple has historically dominated — notably Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
XRP short-term data (today) Current price: $3.22 ▼ -1.88%
$3.22 ▼ -1.88% Immediate support: $3.13–$3.15
$3.13–$3.15 Immediate resistance: $3.27–$3.31
$3.27–$3.31 Near-term upside target: $3.60–$4.50 if support holds
$3.60–$4.50 if support holds Downside risk: $2.90–$2.65 if $3.13 fails XRP long-term data (today) 2025 projection: $5 to $12.60 range
$5 to $12.60 range Late 2020s projection: $12.50 as steady growth target
$12.50 as steady growth target Extreme bullish cycle potential: Up to $34 with unprecedented adoption and liquidity
Up to $34 with unprecedented adoption and liquidity Key long-term catalyst: Continued cross-border payment adoption and regulatory clarity
Forecasts vary wildly depending on timeframe and assumptions: Timeframe Source Target Short-term The Tradable Rally to $4.00 if $3.10–$3.15 holds 2025 Coinpedia $5–$12.60 2028 Standard Chartered $12.50 Current bull cycle Cointelegraph Up to $34 — high valuation risk While the $34 figure attracts headlines, it's worth noting that at that price XRP's market cap would surpass $1.9 trillion — placing it uncomfortably close to Bitcoin's peak valuation. That's why seasoned traders warn against taking parabolic projections at face value. For retail investors and swing traders, the chart alone isn't the full story. In my own experience covering crypto markets, it's the whale wallet activity — particularly large OTC transfers and exchange inflows — that tends to front-run price moves by 12–48 hours. Right now, the $3.13–$3.15 range is the make-or-break zone. If it holds, buyers could force a retest of $3.60 within weeks. If it gives way, the correction could deepen quickly, especially if broader crypto sentiment turns risk-off. One more nuance: Bitcoin dominance has edged up to 54.3% this week, historically a headwind for altcoins like XRP. If BTC keeps absorbing liquidity, even fundamentally bullish setups can stall. XRP is not in freefall — but it's also not in an unchallenged bull run. Instead, it's in a rare equilibrium where billion-dollar whale trades are balancing each other out. That balance won't last. Whether the next decisive break is higher or lower will depend on two factors: The defense of the $3.13 floor. The sustainability of whale accumulation versus distribution. Until then, every major wallet transfer is more than just blockchain noise — it's the heartbeat of the market. And right now, it's beating faster than it has in years. Q1: What is the short-term XRP price prediction? Short-term outlook sees XRP aiming for $3.60 to $4.50 if key support holds.
Q2: What is the long-term potential for XRP? Long-term projections range from $12.50 to $34 with strong adoption.