XRP Has Traded Flat for Months, but Institutional Milestones Keep Hitting Records

$XRP price has moved sideways for months, but institutional activity around the asset and Ripple continues to grow, according to Jake Claver, chairman of Digital Ascension Group.

In a thread on X, Claver said several key indicators tied to $XRP adoption, ETFs, whale accumulation, and Ripple’s institutional expansion have reached record levels despite weak price movement.

Key Points

$XRP price stayed flat for months, but institutional adoption and ETF growth kept hitting records.

U.S. spot $XRP ETFs reportedly reached $1.37B in inflows, becoming a top crypto ETF category.

$XRP whale wallets and large holder accumulation surged to record highs during 2026 consolidation.

Ripple expanded deeper into institutional finance after completing its $1.25B Hidden Road acquisition.

Ripple Appears on Major Institutional Rankings

One major development was Ripple’s inclusion in CNBC’s 2026 Disruptor 50 list, where it ranked No. 16. Claver noted that Ripple was the only crypto-native company on the list.

He also highlighted Ripple’s entry into the top 10 of the Prime Unicorn Index with a valuation above $26 billion. The index tracks large private companies similarly to how the S&P 500 tracks public firms.

According to Claver, institutional investors and compliance teams often use these rankings during due diligence before investing.

$XRP ETF Inflows Continue Growing

Claver also pointed to strong growth in U.S. spot $XRP ETFs since they launched in November 2025.

On May 11, spot $XRP ETFs recorded $25.8 million in inflows, the highest single-day total since January 5. Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ fund led with $13.6 million, its best day of 2026.

Between May 11 and May 15, total inflows across all U.S. spot $XRP ETFs reached $60.5 million, making it the strongest week of the year so far.

$XRP ETF data

Claver claimed $XRP ETFs are now the third-largest crypto ETF category behind Bitcoin and Ethereum products.

Total inflows since launch have climbed to $1.41 billion. He also said $XRP ETFs became the second-fastest crypto ETF category to cross $1 billion in inflows, behind only Bitcoin ETFs.

$XRP Whale Wallets Hit Record Highs

Claver also highlighted growing whale accumulation on the $XRP Ledger. Data showed that as of May 12, around 332,230 wallets held at least 10,000 $XRP, an all-time high.

Meanwhile, wallets holding 1 million $XRP or more reportedly increased by 42 addresses since the start of 2026. Claver said this was the first increase in that whale category since September 2025.

These large wallets reportedly accumulated 1.2 billion $XRP during the first quarter of 2026, the biggest quarterly accumulation since 2023. One wallet alone added 250 million $XRP during the recent consolidation period.

That same group of million-plus $XRP wallets accumulated 1.2 billion tokens in Q1 2026Highest quarterly accumulation figure since 2023One single address added 250 million $XRP during the consolidation9/15🧵

— Jake Claver, QFOP (@beyond_broke) May 27, 2026

Another metric showed $XRP whale outflow dominance on Binance rising to 91.4%, the highest level since 2024. This suggests more $XRP is leaving exchanges than entering them, often viewed as a sign of long-term holding.

Ripple Expands Institutional Infrastructure

Claver also pointed to Ripple’s growing institutional presence after completing its $1.25 billion acquisition of prime brokerage firm Hidden Road.

Following the acquisition, Ripple appeared on DTCC and NSCC broker directories, bringing the company closer to the settlement infrastructure used in traditional finance.

Other developments included Ripple Custody expanding through partnerships with Securosys and Figment, along with the integration of Chainalysis transaction screening tools. Ripple Payments has also continued expanding across more than 60 global markets.

Standard Chartered Still Sees Bigger ETF Potential

Despite revising parts of its $XRP outlook earlier this year, Standard Chartered still expects $XRP ETFs to attract between $4 billion and $8 billion in inflows during 2026 if the proposed CLARITY Act becomes law.

According to Claver, that forecast remains much higher than the current cumulative ETF inflows already recorded.

He concluded that institutional infrastructure, ETF demand, and whale accumulation all appear to be strengthening before any major $XRP price breakout happens.