XRP Price Surges 44%, Leads Top 10 Crypto as Korean Demand Grows

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Market Cap$ 2.74T+0.04%
24h Spot Volume$ 33.53B-23.1%
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ETH Gas0.12 Gwei
Aug 26, 2026
2min read
byMaya Bennett
forCoinpaper

XRP surged 43.7% in the week through Aug. 26, outperforming top-10 cryptos as US spot XRP ETFs posted $77.47M of net inflows from Aug. 18–25 (peaking $23.87M on Aug. 25) and cumulative ETF inflows reached $1.55B while Goldman Sachs disclosed $86.5M exposure. South Korean spot demand on Upbit accounted for 16.3% of won turnover and XRP traded within 0.1% of Bybit price, and Binance outflows plus a 12.9% weekly rise in open interest suggest tightening CEX supply even as derivatives show mixed trader conviction and funding remains low at 0.01%. The move signals stronger institutional funding and adoption momentum for the token, but sustainability depends on continued ETF inflows and Korean spot demand.

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XRP has surged 43.7% over the past seven days, outperforming every other top-10 cryptocurrency as institutional inflows and Korean spot demand strengthened.

The token’s advance through Aug. 26 exceeded Hyperliquid’s 40.6% gain, Ethereum’s 28.6% rise and Bitcoin’s 22.6% increase. The move stood out because the broader market remained in “Bitcoin Season,” with Bitcoin dominance at 59.3% and the Altcoin Season Index at 40 out of 100.

ETF Inflows and Korea Drive Demand

US spot XRP ETFs posted six consecutive positive sessions between Aug. 18 and Aug. 25, attracting a combined $77.47 million The streak peaked with $23.87 million of net inflows on Aug. 25

The latest buying extends a stronger institutional trend. Cumulative ETF inflows recently reached a record $1.55 billion, while Goldman Sachs disclosed $86.5 million of exposure across five XRP ETFs in its second-quarter filing.

South Korea added anothers on Upbit early Aug. 26, accounting for 16.3% of total turnover. Despite the activity, XRP traded within roughly 0.1% of its Bybit price after currency conversion, showing heavy participation without a major Korean premium

<iframe src=”https://widgets.coincodex.com/w/16ed942c-03f9-457a-ad4c-64d53e1d188b?site=coinpaper&mode=light” width=”100%” height=”728” frameborder=”0” style=”border:0;background:transparent;border-radius:0px;”></iframe>Binance Data Shows Selective Conviction

Binance derivatives data showed a split between larger and broader accounts.

The exchange’s top-trader position ratio rose 3.8% over the week to 2.24, while the ratio across all accounts fell 27.7%. At the same time, the share of top accounts holding long positions declined 33.5%.

The divergence suggests that fewer large traders remained bullish, but those that did kept larger positions. XRP has also seen heavy movement away from centralized exchanges, with earlier Binance outflows adding to the view that exchange supply is tightening.

Open interest fell 8.9% over 24 hours but remained 12.9% higher on the week, while funding stayed modest at 0.01%. For broader context, Coinpaper’s XRP guide explains the XRP Ledger, token supply and its role in cross-border payments.

The next test is whether ETF inflows and Korean spot demand remain strong after the initial surge.

Source: cryptorank.io