XRP Holds Near $1.08 Amid ETF Milestone and Institutional Expansion
XRP traded at $1.0837 on July 31, 2026, with the token up 1.01% over 24 hours but down 2.17% over the past week, according to CoinStats market data. The cryptocurrency maintained a market capitalization of $67.77 billion, securing its position as the 6th-ranked digital asset by market cap, with 24-hour trading volume of $1.18 billion.
Spot ETF Inflows Cross $1.5 Billion Milestone
Spot XRP exchange-traded funds reached a significant institutional milestone, accumulating approximately $1.5 billion in cumulative net inflows as of July 29, 2026. However, daily momentum has moderated considerably: funds recorded only $584,000 to $585,000 in net inflows on July 29, marking the first positive flow since July 25.
The data reveals a nuanced picture of institutional adoption. While cumulative inflows remain substantial, the slowdown in daily flows suggests that initial enthusiasm may be plateauing. According to ETF-flow tracking data, XRP ETF net assets stood at approximately $989 million on July 29, representing roughly 66.1% of cumulative inflows. This gap indicates that asset growth has not kept pace with capital entering the products, likely due to recent price weakness eroding the value of earlier deposits.
Evernorth Treasury Filing Highlights Price Sensitivity
Ripple-backed Evernorth Holdings amended its Form S-4 registration statement on July 30 as it continues preparations for a proposed Nasdaq listing through a merger with Armada Acquisition Corp. II. The company is pursuing a public XRP treasury strategy backed by expected gross proceeds exceeding $1 billion, with reported support from Ripple, SBI Holdings, Pantera Capital, Kraken, and Arrington Capital.
The proposed merged entity is expected to hold at least 473 million XRP at launch, including Ripple contributions and open-market purchases funded by merger proceeds. However, recent price weakness has taken a toll on the initiative's financial position. Falling XRP prices reduced Evernorth's combined holdings to approximately $640 million, prompting the company to disclose a $38.4 million impairment in its latest filing. The amended S-4 remains subject to SEC review and does not constitute regulatory approval of the transaction.
Evernorth also finalized employment terms for several senior executives, including its chief legal, business, and operating officers, signaling continued progress toward the proposed merger despite market headwinds.
Institutional XRPL Tokenization Expands
Institutional adoption of the XRP Ledger accelerated during the period, with Aviva Investors' tokenized U.S. dollar liquidity fund becoming a prominent development. The initiative makes a tokenized share class available to eligible investors using crypto wallets, expanding institutional use of the XRPL for tokenized financial products. This move from a $350 billion asset manager underscores growing confidence in the ledger's infrastructure for enterprise-grade applications.
The XRP Ledger also implemented the fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment on July 29, following an approval vote with approximately 85% validator consensus. The amendment is expected to support network maintenance and institutional usability, though it does not guarantee an immediate effect on XRP's market price.
Technical Levels and Price Action
XRP's seven-day price action reflects a controlled pullback rather than a sharp selloff. The token started the week at $1.1081 on July 24 and ended at $1.0833 on July 31, with the weekly peak of $1.114 also recorded on July 24. Price movement has remained contained within a narrow band around the $1.08–$1.11 range, indicating consolidation rather than directional conviction.
Analysts cited a $1.09 resistance level as a key technical threshold. A sustained break above this mark could potentially open a path toward the July 23 high near $1.14. However, XRP has remained below this level throughout the reporting period, suggesting that buyers have not yet demonstrated sufficient strength to overcome this barrier.
Market data showed some pricing discrepancies across venues. While CoinGape reported XRP near $1.08, The Block placed the token at $1.46 down 4% over 24 hours as of approximately 10:30 p.m. ET on July 30. These differences likely reflect different data timestamps or market feeds, underscoring the importance of using consistent benchmarks when tracking XRP price movements.
Derivatives Market Shows Balanced but Crowded Positioning
XRP futures open interest stood at $2.46 billion, up 2.21% over the past seven days (approximately $53.24 million). The seven-day range ran from $2.32 billion to $2.49 billion, with an average of $2.43 billion. This stable open interest profile suggests participation remains firm but not aggressively expanding, indicating consolidation rather than explosive momentum.
Perpetual funding rates remained positive at 0.0083% per 8 hours, with a projected annualized rate of 9.14%. Over the past seven days, funding averaged 0.0034%, with a high of 0.0094% and a low of -0.0099%. This neutral funding level is well below the 0.03% per 8-hour threshold that would signal an overleveraged long market, reducing the immediate risk of a funding-driven squeeze.
Recent liquidations have been dominated by short positions. Over the last 24 hours, XRP recorded $529.82K in total liquidations, with $409.79K from shorts and $120.02K from longs, meaning 77.3% of recent liquidations came from short positions. Across the full seven-day window, liquidations totaled $20.49 million, with the largest single event reaching $4.51 million on July 27 at 4:00 PM UTC.
Retail positioning on Binance showed a heavily crowded long setup, with 70.9% of accounts long versus 29.1% short, for a ratio of 2.44. The seven-day average long share was even higher at 72.7%, with the range staying tightly clustered between 70.8% and 73.8%. This crowded-long configuration represents a classic contrarian warning sign, as markets with more than 65% of accounts long often become vulnerable to downside volatility if price fails to continue rising.
Regulatory Backdrop and Market Sentiment
No new SEC enforcement action against Ripple was identified in the July 30–31 search window. Recent coverage instead focused on the regulatory implications of the proposed CLARITY Act, whose delayed progress has weighed on broader crypto-market expectations. XRP had previously moved above $1.16 on July 21 amid optimism that the legislation would advance, but subsequent uncertainty contributed to a more cautious market backdrop.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was scheduled to speak at the 2026 Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, an event expected to feature crypto-policy discussions involving U.S. lawmakers and SEC leadership. This appearance underscores Ripple's continued engagement with regulatory stakeholders.
The broader crypto market's Fear & Greed Index stood at 24, indicating Extreme Fear territory. While extreme fear can support contrarian buying interest, it does not guarantee an immediate reversal. In the current setup, the cautious sentiment backdrop combined with relatively stable XRP derivatives often produces choppy trading rather than a clean trend.
Market Outlook
The latest data present a mixed picture for XRP. Spot ETF products have accumulated substantial cumulative inflows, and institutional XRPL tokenization activity continues to expand, signaling growing enterprise adoption. At the same time, daily ETF flows have slowed significantly, XRP remains below key technical thresholds, and Evernorth's filings highlight the financial impact of recent price weakness.
The derivatives setup suggests a balanced but fragile environment. Open interest is elevated but stable, funding is positive but not overheated, and short liquidations dominate recent forced exits. However, retail positioning remains heavily long, creating vulnerability if momentum fades. The main opportunity is that shorts have already been squeezed, which can support further upside if spot demand continues to absorb supply. The main risk is that XRP's crowded long positioning could unwind quickly if price loses momentum.