XRP Surges to 8.1M Wallets as SHIB North Korea Hack Rumors Grow

XRP on-chain activity is hitting a record pace despite a prolonged price slump. The XRPL network has reached 8,189,798 addresses (early April 2026), up 3.39% in Q1 2026, while XRP trades around $1.30–$1.33 after a drop of more than 60% from July 2025. The number of “millionaire wallets” (holding over 1 million XRP) has started rising for the first time since September, suggesting large holders may be accumulating. Ecosystem expansion is also cited, including growth of AMM pools to nearly 28,000 and partnerships such as integration with Mastercard. Traders are watching the U.S. Senate’s potential consideration of the CLARITY Act, which could strengthen XRP’s “digital commodity” status and act as a catalyst. Separately, SHIB faces renewed risk sentiment after MetaMask security director Taylor Monahan (Tayvano) pointed to possible DPRK (North Korea) involvement in projects following the Drift Protocol $285M hack. SHIB was listed among assets allegedly touched by Lazarus-associated developers, raising supply-chain/backdoor concerns. However, the article stresses there is no official SHIB confirmation. For Bitcoin (BTC), a 13-year dormant wallet reportedly moved 0.0257 BTC, with the holder realizing an extreme profit (SOPR ~4,913). Broader long-term holder metrics also suggest capitulation pressure, while BTC remains supported near the $67,000 level into the April 9 Core PCE release.