XRP Plummets 10% After Whale Dumps $175M to Exchanges—Time to Panic or Buy the Dip?

XRP just got rocked by a tsunami of sell pressure—and traders are scrambling to decode the fallout.

Whale alert triggers market quake

A single entity moved enough XRP to exchanges to fund a small country's GDP, sparking instant price chaos. The $175 million transfer hit liquidity pools like a wrecking ball, slicing 10% off XRP's value before lunchtime.

Exchange inflows scream danger

When crypto whales park assets in trading venues, it's rarely for HODLing purposes. The market interpreted these transfers as a prelude to massive selling—because in crypto-land, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a leveraged whale preparing to dump.

Silver lining for degens?

History shows these flash crashes often create prime buying opportunities—assuming you've got the stomach to catch falling knives while Wall Street sharks circle the bloodied waters. Just remember: in traditional markets, this would trigger circuit breakers. In crypto? We call it Tuesday.

• XRP fell 10% to $3.09 after $175M worth of tokens were moved to exchanges.
• Whale transfers triggered speculation of a potential sell-off and market manipulation.
• The community remains divided between supporters of decentralization and concerns from retail investors.

XRP resurfaced in the headlines after a spontaneous 10% drop in value due to mass XRP transfers by Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen. From July 17 to July 23, 2025, Larsen was reported to have transferred 50 million tokens, valued at approximately $175 million, to four separate wallet addresses.

On-chain analyst ZachXBT reported that nearly $140 million of that was deposited directly to centralized exchanges, a common indicator that a large-scale liquidation is upcoming.

Since July 17, 2025 an address linked to Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen transferred out 50M XRP ($175M) to four addresses.

~$140M ended up at exchanges/services

30M XRP recipient
rPS9kVPbgZF4vXq2hs6s9Xv2754qdRau98
rnQXgGAjqbF4KoBpcBK5YBHyZEL7nGWWoi
10M XRP recipient…

These transfers generated intense speculation due to them happening so soon after XRP set a new high of $3.60 on July 18. The value dropped as low as $2.99 by July 24 before stabilizing around $3.09.

Both the transfers and their recent proximity to the top of the level induced many within the crypto community to point to Larsen for instilling selling pressure and damaging market confidence.

Even though Ripple and Larsen have not commented yet, silence has done nothing but fuel community distrust as much as market nervousness. This is not a new phenomenon for Larsen’s operations. In January 2025 alone, he has reportedly moved more than $344 million worth of XRP, including an $8 million MOVE to Coinbase on July 15 and 16, while XRP was close to $3.25.

Larsen remains one of XRP’s largest shareholders with a reported 2.6 billion coins that WOULD be valued close to $8.03 billion based on today’s value. His influence on XRP’s supply and feelings of centralization is a subject of discussion in the crypto space.

XRP Community Split Over Massive Token Transfers

The broader XRP community is divided. While some see the transfers as being consistent with Ripple’s long-term plan towards decentralization, other individuals see them as opportunistic transfers harming retail investors. A scorned critic even accused Larsen of “dumping on his autistic fan base,” reflecting the emotional level of response.

Chad for dumping on his autistic fan base

Supporters argue that the moves could be part of a long-term redistribution, yet without definitive word from both sides, neither argument can resolve the row. In any event, the token has a healthy market standing with a capitalization of nearly $183 billion.

It even touched a 1-month high of $3.56 on July 22, 2025, before it began declining. There is a chance that the token could again touch its previous all-time high of $3.84 if positive market conditions return, along with some more bullish news, such as XRP Futures listings as well as ETF demand from institutions.

However, the move signals a larger problem for the crypto market: insider trading and a lack of transparency. Until Ripple or Larsen clarifies it themselves, the token’s short-term direction doubts will remain with traders keenly observing any more large-scale action from top holders.

It’s happening. Institutional access to crypto is accelerating.

From the launch of XRP Futures and ETFs on CME and Nasdaq just this week, it’s clear the market is maturing and exposure to crypto is expanding.@bgarlinghouse locks in for 60 seconds and unpacks the excitement… pic.twitter.com/O3ugSDkn8i