XRP in 2026: Network grows, but price remains stagnant

Traders Union
All News
Editors' Picks
What is missing for XRP price growth in 2026

Burn mechanism in the XRP Ledger

The burn mechanism in the XRP Ledger differs from most crypto projects. Tokens are destroyed automatically with every transaction as a network usage fee. The minimum fee is 0.00001 XRP, and it is not distributed to validators; instead, it is permanently removed from circulation.

Over recent weeks, this metric has spiked sharply. While the network burned approximately 900 XRP per day in early February and about 500 XRP in early March, the daily volume reached 2,491 XRP by March 19. This represents a 2026 high and an increase of over 300% in a short period.

This jump is directly linked to network load. The XRP Ledger is currently processing about 3 million transactions per day, compared to approximately 1 million in mid-2025. Growth in payment operations, AMM pools, and the tokenized asset segment increases fee volume, and consequently, the burn rate.

Loading...

The tweet was deleted by the author.

But we saved everything 🙂.

However, within the broader scale of the XRP economy, these figures remain negligible. Over 13 years of network operation, approximately 14 million XRP have been burned, representing only 0.014% of the total supply of 100 billion tokens. Even at the current rate of ~2,500 XRP per day, this amounts to less than 1 million XRP per year, or roughly 0.001% of the supply.

Therefore, the XRP burn rate does not create scarcity. It merely reflects network utilization levels and functions primarily as a load indicator.

Why the market is ignoring network growth

The primary reason for the weak price reaction lies in market structure. Following peak values in late 2025, XRP underwent a massive deleveraging. Open interest in derivatives dropped from over $10 billion to $2–3 billion. This indicates that a significant portion of the speculative capital that supported the upward trend has left the market.

In such an environment, even strong fundamental metrics do not translate into price appreciation. They may sustain interest in the network, but they cannot generate momentum without a fresh influx of liquidity.

According to Alphractal analyst Joao Wedson, XRP has not yet shown signs of a confirmed market bottom. He highlights the Number of Days Spent at a Profit metric, which tracks how long an asset trades below its previous highs. Historically, extreme values in this metric coincide with the final phases of a bear market. Currently, XRP has not reached these levels, suggesting the market may remain in a correction phase longer than participants expect.

Loading...

The tweet was deleted by the author.

But we saved everything 🙂.

Shift in participant structure

An additional factor is the changing composition of token holders. The number of non-empty wallets has reached a record 7.7 million, indicating a broadening user base. Simultaneously, the share of large (whale) addresses is declining. This suggests that major players are partially taking profits or redistributing their positions.

This imbalance changes the nature of demand. The market is becoming more fragmented but less capable of generating strong price movement. Retail demand compensates for activity but fails to create the necessary pressure for growth.

Regulatory factor has lost its impact

For several years, uncertainty regarding its legal status was the key restraining factor for XRP. In 2025–2026, the situation changed significantly. Court rulings and regulatory stances confirmed that XRP on the secondary market is not classified as a security. Furthermore, the asset began to be viewed as a digital commodity alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum.

However, the market did not react to this resolution as expected. This indicates a shift in priorities: reduced regulatory risk is no longer a sufficient condition for price growth without an accompanying capital inflow.

What XRP is actually missing

A rising burn rate creates an illusion of scarcity but does not change the market balance in reality. XRP is not becoming significantly rarer due to burning; rather, the intensity of network usage is increasing.This is an important fundamental signal, but it lacks a direct price projection. The market evaluates the balance of demand and liquidity rather than the speed of token destruction. As long as this balance remains unchanged, even record on-chain metrics remain secondary.

The current situation confirms this: the network is expanding, activity is rising, and regulatory uncertainty has diminished. However, these factors are either already priced in or are not perceived as new drivers. The result is a gap where fundamentals appear stronger than price action. The key question is not why XRP isn't growing, but what can change the demand structure. Without a new source of capital, further network growth is unlikely to lead to a rapid reversal.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.