XRP Network Activity Plummets 75% Despite ETF Hype as Whales Accumulate, Retail Engagement Weakens

XRP has experienced a significant downturn in on-chain network activity since late 2024, with payment transactions and daily active addresses falling sharply. By June 2025, daily active addresses had declined by 75% from over 110,000 in January to below 30,000, marking the lowest engagement since October of the previous year. This decline highlights decreased participation from retail and mid-size XRP holders, even as whale addresses holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP increased their share from 10.4% to 12.2% since December. Despite softer network fundamentals, XRP price remains above $2, largely buoyed by strong U.S. spot ETF optimism—Polymarket now rates approval odds at 93%, following ETF filings from Bitwise, Grayscale, and 21Shares, as well as CME’s rollout of XRP futures. However, exchange flows on platforms like Binance have also slowed, and the network’s core payment use case faces waning adoption. Technical indicators show neutral to weak momentum: XRP trades under key EMAs near $2.14 and the RSI approaches oversold levels. While ETF hopes are currently supporting price, any negative developments could quickly expose fundamental weakness and trigger intensified selling. Crypto traders should closely monitor ETF progress, whale accumulation patterns, and any changes in network activity, as these factors will shape short-term price action and longer-term support.