Sometimes, on-chain data speaks loudly enough that traders stop to pay attention. That is precisely what happened this week, when analyst Ali Martinez pointed to an interesting trend in XRP whale behavior. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez revealed that 1.10 billion XRP were moved by whale accounts over the past week, using Santiment data to show a drop in the supply held by large wallets.
Reading The 1.1 Billion XRP Move
According to Martinez, who shared the finding on X alongside a Santiment chart, approximately 1.10 billion XRP was sold or redistributed by whales over the course of a single week. The chart shows whale holdings declining sharply from a peak of roughly 8.84 billion XRP down to approximately 7.66 billion, with the highest drop recorded on April 21 before flattening out.
1.10 billion $XRP were sold or redistributed by whales over the past week. pic.twitter.com/mah2JTuta7
— Ali Charts (@alicharts) April 28, 2026
That kind of drop shows a coordinated trend of selling or redistribution among large XRP holders. This is why the wording “sold or redistributed” matters. On-chain balance changes can show that whales reduced their holdings, but they do not always reveal the final motive behind the movement. Some tokens may have been transferred to exchanges and some may have been moved into smaller wallet addresses.
The market impact of the move on XRP’s price action cannot be dismissed, as the price has weakened over the past week. Data from CoinGecko shows a 7-day decline of about 3.7% at the time of writing. That makes the whale movement more sensitive because large holder distribution during a weak price phase can increase caution among traders.
What Comes Next After This?
The question raised by the whale data is what happens next for XRP ashe altcoin is currently trading at $1.37, pinned below the $1.4 resistance that a few analysts have identified as the important level for the next directional move.
Another question is whether XRP can absorb this supply movement without losing more ground. XRP has already fallen more than 60% over the past nine months and is only starting to reduce its corrections in April. Technical analysis of liquidity zones shows that there are liquidity pockets in both bullish and bearish directions, which means it could resolve in either way in the coming days.
Nonetheless, the altcoin is about to close April in the green, which would be its first green monthly candle since September 2025. That matters because it would show that buyers are finally beginning to slow the broader downtrend. It also gives a clear level to watch heading into May, as a green monthly close could improve retail sentiment around the cryptocurency.
Therefore, the 1.1 billion XRP movement from whales should be treated as more of a warning signal and not a final verdict. If XRP finds stability around $1.37 and closes April on a bullish note, and whale balances stop falling, then the move may end up as redistribution.
Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com
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