XRP Falls Nearly 30% as Ripple Partnerships Grow
XRP has fallen nearly 30% in 2026, trading around $1.29 on October 24, despite Ripple expanding its institutional partnerships. Ripple Prime joined a DTCC working group of more than 50 companies, including BlackRock and JPMorgan, exploring tokenized securities. However, DTCC has not committed to using XRP or the XRP Ledger for settlement, and its initial tokenization trades used other blockchain infrastructure.
Ripple has also announced partnerships with South Korea’s Meritz Securities and brokerage platform DriveWealth. In Brazil, CSD BR is using the XRP Ledger to mirror investment fund ownership records, though regulated systems remain authoritative. These developments show growing institutional use of Ripple’s services and blockchain infrastructure, but do not confirm significant new demand for XRP.
That distinction matters because Ripple can earn revenue from custody, brokerage and payments without customers buying large amounts of XRP. Market headwinds include about 6.05 billion XRP transferred to exchanges over a recent 30-day period—though deposits do not necessarily mean sales—and the end of a 13-week streak of inflows into XRP exchange-traded funds. Traders will be watching for evidence that Ripple’s partnerships translate into measurable XRP usage and buying demand.
Bearish
The article is modestly bearish for XRP because it highlights a widening gap between Ripple’s institutional growth and demand for the XRP token. The DTCC working group and Ripple’s other partnerships may support confidence in the company, but there is no confirmed commitment to use XRP for DTCC settlement or evidence that the agreements require significant XRP purchases. This limits their value as immediate price catalysts.
Short-term sentiment is also pressured by XRP’s nearly 30% year-to-date decline, reported exchange inflows and the end of a 13-week run of XRP ETF inflows. Exchange transfers can precede selling but are not proof of it, so traders should avoid treating that figure as confirmed sell volume. The market may react to further partnership announcements with brief rallies, but such moves could fade unless they are accompanied by evidence of on-chain activity, sustained ETF inflows or direct token demand.
Longer term, institutional tokenization and Ripple’s expanding financial services could help the ecosystem if they generate recurring XRP use. Similar announcements across crypto markets have often produced limited token gains when adoption benefits the company or its infrastructure without creating clear token utility. The key indicator for traders is therefore not the number of partnerships alone, but whether they lead to measurable XRP transactions, purchases or sustained demand. Broader crypto market conditions and liquidity will also influence price and stability.