XRP&#8217;s price crash earlier this week has kept many bullish investors in the XRP 
community on edge, but one outspoken voice in the community believes the move 
is not as random as it looks. A crypto pundit known as Stellar Rippler has 
encouraged XRP holders to pull their cryptocurrencies off centralized 
exchanges immediately, with the outlook that the recent volatility is not just 
another routine market dip but a warning sign of what’s to come. Related 
Reading: Bitcoin Edges Past Gold In Appeal, JPMorgan Says Engineered XRP 
Crash? Stellar Rippler’s position is based on the idea that XRP is being 
treated differently from most digital assets behind the scenes. He pointed to 
past remarks from David Schwartz, co-creator of the XRP Ledger, where XRP was 
described as a form of pre-allocated liquidity for institutional use, as well 
as statements suggesting that XRP currently held in escrow can be sold to 
institutions but will not be circulated until NDAs are disclosed. He went 
further to name large financial players, including BlackRock, JPMorgan, Bank 
of America, and institutions linked to the BRICS, the United Arab Emirates, 
the United Kingdom, and European central banking structures. According to the 
pundit, all these institutions have bought the right to buy the XRP currently 
held in escrow by Ripple. At the time of writing, there are no public filings 
that confirm coordinated buying of XRP escrows by these entities, but the 
argument has found receptive ears among investors unsettled by the recent 
sell-off. From that angle, the pundit noted that sudden downside moves, such 
as the recent drop to $1.15, are engineered. By &#8220;engineered,&#8221; this means the 
price crash serves a strategic purpose of creating opportunity for large 
financial players to accumulate XRP at lower prices before any market 
repricing takes place. Should You Take Your XRP Off Exchanges? Another part of 
the warning focused on user experience at major crypto exchanges. According to 
the pundit, Binance and Coinbase users have reportedly been facing 
difficulties getting their crypto off the exchanges. This, in itself, is a 
warning for XRP holders to get their cryptos off crypto exchanges and into a 
cold wallet. That message taps into conversation in crypto about self-custody 
versus keeping holdings on crypto exchanges. Calls to be your own bank tend to 
resurface whenever price action turns volatile. The alarm was sounded against 
the backdrop of a Bitcoin price crash below $70,000 that pulled most 
cryptocurrencies lower. XRP, in particular, dipped to around $1.15 during the 
sell-off before rebounding. Related Reading: Bitcoin Sell-Off May Be Done, 
Analyst Flags Recovery Signs At the time of writing, XRP is trading near 
$1.42, easing some immediate pressure but not fully restoring confidence. On 
the subject of confidence, sentiment surrounding XRP on social media is 
relatively optimistic. Data shows XRP is drawing more positive commentary than 
other large-cap assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum despite the recent market- 
wide crash. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Pundit Says It’s Time To Get Your XRP Off Crypto Exchanges – Here’s Why

Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) finally halted weeks of selling pressure 
with a strong inflow, offering a rare moment of relief. Ether and solana, 
however, remained under strain, while XRP continued to quietly rebuild 
momentum. Capital Rotates Back to Bitcoin ETFs While Ether, Solana Stay Under 
Pressure After days of relentless selling, the tone shifted modestly […]

Bitcoin ETFs Snap Losing Streak With $331 Million Inflow

XRP is being talked about in a different way now — not just as a token to 
trade, but as something that could plug into real finance. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin Sell-Off May Be Done, Analyst Flags Recovery Signs The talk is 
shifting from ticker-watchers to companies that want reliable settlement rails 
and liquid collateral for on-chain assets. That shift shows up in moves on the 
ledger and in comments from people building businesses around it. XRP Seen As 
Financial Glue According to Jake Claver, CEO of Digital Ascension Group, XRP 
should be thought of as foundational collateral rather than a short-term bet. 
He called it “the most pristine collateral” and warned that 99% of holders 
“have no clue” what they actually hold. Those are strong words, and they line 
up with wider signals from developers and some institutional players who are 
testing XRPL’s features for real-world use. 99% of people that own XRP have no 
clue what it really is…. It’s the most pristine collateral the world has ever 
seen… It’s the oxygen the new financial system will need to breathe.. I do not 
know how to impress upon you how important XRP will be for the world moving 
forward. — Jake Claver, QFOP (@beyond_broke) February 4, 2026 Growing 
Tokenized Commodity Activity Reports say the XRPL now hosts roughly $1.14 
billion in tokenized commodities. That number is important. It shows companies 
are putting things like energy-linked tokens and diamonds onto the ledger, and 
it positions XRPL just behind Ethereum in the specific area of tokenized 
commodity value. These assets aren’t just experiment tokens; they are intended 
to be tied to physical goods and cash flows, which changes how XRP might be 
used in settlement and collateral roles. Ripple’s Plan For Institutional DeFi 
Based on reports from Ripple’s roadmap, the ledger is being prepared for 
deeper institutional use. Permissioned domains and credentials are being 
highlighted as tools to let regulated firms operate with KYC and compliance 
baked in. XRP Price Action Market moves reacted to these developments. After a 
slide to about $1.11 amid broad market stress, XRP climbed back to roughly 
$1.53 on February 7, a move of over 35% from the recent low. Trading has since 
cooled off a little. Some traders point to renewed institutional flows and 
accumulation by large wallets, while others say global risk sentiment and 
macro headlines remain the main drivers of day-to-day swings. Institutional 
Steps Toward On-Chain Credit Meanwhile, reports note early institutional 
participants are preparing to put capital to work to increase yield and 
liquidity on XRPL. Planned features like a permissioned DEX, confidential 
transfers, and smarter escrow controls are meant to make the ledger easier for 
banks and regulated funds to plug into existing processes. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin Edges Past Gold In Appeal, JPMorgan Says XRP As &#8216;Oxygen&#8217; If those 
pieces arrive and are adopted, XRP’s role as an on-ledger liquidity provider 
and settlement asset would be reinforced. There are good reasons to watch both 
the tech and the market. The ledger’s growing base of tokenized goods and the 
roadmap for lending give a clear use case for XRP as operational collateral. 
At the same time, price swings show that broader macro forces and speculation 
still matter a great deal, and adoption by banks and funds will be what really 
tests the claim that XRP can act as the “oxygen” for a new financial plumbing. 
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Breathe… XRP Is The ‘Oxygen’ Of The New Financial System, CEO Says

Hong Kong hedge funds’ leveraged BTC price bets are emerging as the main 
trigger behind Bitcoin’s sharp month-long sell-off.

What crashed Bitcoin? Three theories behind BTC’s trip below $60K

This week’s stories cut to crypto’s foundations. Tom Lee defended ETH treasury 
drawdowns as structural, not a flaw. The new Epstein file dump reignited 
scrutiny around Blockstream. Nic Carter showed most Bitcoin devs see quantum 
risk as distant, but legitimate. Vitalik called time on generic L2s, and 
Wintermute’s Evgeny Gaevoy argued the industry has stalled […]

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