Bitcoin held near the $80,500 level on May 13, 2026, at 8 a.m. ET, as traders 
weighed cooling short-term momentum against a broader bullish structure that 
still refuses to tap out quietly. With bitcoin priced at $80,550, a market cap 
of $1.61 trillion, and 24-hour trading volume reaching $40.58 billion, the 
world’s largest crypto asset […]

Despite $82,000 Resistance, Bitcoin Prints Higher Lows Since April Bottom

The XRP Ledger has reached a new high in the number of wallets holding at 
least 10,000 XRP, according to on-chain analytics firm Santiment, extending a 
growth trend that has been in place since mid-2024. The firm framed the rise 
as a long-term accumulation signal among larger holders, even as XRP has spent 
much of 2026 trading below prior highs. Santiment said its data shows 332,230 
XRP Ledger wallets now hold at least 10,000 XRP, marking an all-time high for 
that cohort. The metric, shown in a chart shared by Santiment Intelligence, 
tracks wallets in the “10,000 to infinity” XRP balance range alongside the XRP 
price. “According to our on-chain data, XRP Ledger now has reached an all-time 
high of 332,230 wallets holding at least 10K XRP,” Santiment wrote. “This 
extends a consistent growth trend that has been building since June, 2024. The 
continued rise in XRP Ledger wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP is an 
important long-term signal because it shows that larger holders have kept 
accumulating even during periods of volatility and uncertainty.” What This 
Means For XRP Price The chart shows a steady expansion in the number of 
10K-plus XRP wallets over the past year, with the wallet count rising even as 
the price line has moved through several drawdowns and rebounds. The latest 
reading places the cohort near 332,000 wallets, above previous levels seen 
before a sharp early-February decline. Related Reading: Key XRP Metric 
Skyrockets 65% In Record Time, Why It Could Change Everything For Buyers 
Santiment described the group as “mid-to-large wallets,” a distinction that 
matters for interpretation. A 10,000 XRP threshold does not necessarily 
identify institutional whales or exchange-scale holders, but it does filter 
out smaller retail balances and captures addresses with a more meaningful 
exposure to the asset. For market analysts, growth in that cohort can point to 
broader accumulation, distribution patterns, or changes in holder conviction. 
The firm argued that the latest move is notable because it has occurred during 
a period when XRP has remained below earlier highs. In that context, Santiment 
said the increase may suggest that larger XRP holders have been adding 
exposure into weakness rather than waiting for momentum to return. 
“Historically, rising numbers of mid-to-large wallets suggest increasing 
conviction from investors who are less focused on short-term price swings and 
more interested in long-term positioning,” Santiment wrote. “This is 
especially notable because XRP has spent much of 2026 trading below previous 
highs, meaning many holders appear willing to accumulate during fear rather 
than chase momentum.” Related Reading: XRP To $10? New Thesis Links CLARITY 
Act To Bank-Scale XRPL Liquidity The chart also shows a brief but sharp break 
in the trend in early February. Santiment pointed to a drop of more than 4,500 
wallets in the 10K-plus category between February 6 and February 8, but said 
there was no confirmed XRP-specific catalyst behind the move. “As for the 
sharp drop of more than 4,500 of these 10K+ wallets between February 6th and 
8th that you see, there does not appear to be one confirmed XRP-specific event 
directly tied to it,” Santiment wrote. “However, the timing strongly suggests 
it was connected to the crypto-wide crash and liquidations on February 5th, 
which the growth in wallets since then have now exceeded.” That recovery is 
the more important element in the data. The number of wallets in the 10K-plus 
XRP cohort has not only rebounded from the February decline, according to 
Santiment’s chart, but pushed to a fresh record. That suggests the early-year 
disruption did not derail the broader accumulation trend tracked since June 
2024. Still, wallet-count data requires careful reading. A rising number of 
addresses above a balance threshold can reflect genuine accumulation by new or 
existing holders, but it can also be influenced by wallet fragmentation, 
custody practices, exchange activity, and operational address management. 
Santiment’s framing focuses on the signal from the cohort’s persistent 
expansion rather than treating the metric as a direct count of unique 
investors. At press time, XRP traded at $1.4554. Featured image created with 
DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP Ledger Hits Record High In 10K+ Wallets As Larger Holders Accumulate

The accumulation trend among large XRP holders suggests strong long-term 
confidence, potentially stabilizing the market amid volatility.
The post Large XRP holders keep buying the fear as on-chain records quietly 
pile up appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Large XRP holders keep buying the fear as on-chain records quietly pile up

The halt in Iran&#8217;s crude exports due to US sanctions could exacerbate global 
oil market volatility and strain geopolitical relations.
The post Iran halts crude exports as US sanctions impact Strait of Hormuz 
traffic appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Iran halts crude exports as US sanctions impact Strait of Hormuz traffic

Coinbase-backed x402 adds batch settlement, letting AI agents authorize many 
small payments offchain before settling them later onchain.

Coinbase-backed x402 adds batch settlement for AI agent payments

Arkham’s new map links OFAC‑sanctioned Tron wallets to Iran’s central bank, 
putting Tehran’s alleged onchain reserves and counterparties in full public 
view.

Despite $82,000 Resistance, Bitcoin Prints Higher Lows Since April Bottom

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