XRP experiences larger decrease than BTC, ETH; reasons for the drop?
February 10, 2026
XRP, the cryptocurrency, experienced the most significant drop in value compared to other major tokens during the recent downturn in the digital currency market, causing worry among investors. The decline, which occurred on February 6th, saw XRP plummet by 13.31 percent on a weekly basis, similar to the 15 percent decrease observed in ether’s value. This drop was more significant than the 12 percent decrease in BNB and the 8 percent decline in Cardano’s value.
There has been speculation that large holders of XRP, known as “whales,” have been intentionally driving the price of XRP down due to its perceived threat to bitcoin and ether. Vincent Van Code, a software engineer and prominent figure in the XRP community, suggested that whales may be suppressing XRP value because it poses a significant threat to other cryptocurrencies in the market.
The total market value of XRP fell below $100 billion on February 1st, marking a loss of $133 billion since its peak value of $216 billion in July 2025. In comparison, BNB, a larger token, experienced losses of $12 billion, while Cardano recorded a $1.48 billion decrease. Claims have also emerged suggesting that the sharp decline in the XRP/bitcoin pair can be attributed to whales transferring funds. Van Code remarked that this apparent manipulation tactic will be costly for those engaging in it.
Some analysts have suggested that large investors, including Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, are working to uphold bitcoin’s dominance in the market. CZ has previously disclosed that 98.5 percent of his portfolio consists of BNB, with bitcoin accounting for 1.3 percent. Despite this, Van Code criticized the concept of Bitcoin maximalism and emphasized the gradual expansion of XRP’s influence in the market.
While the “whale intervention” theory remains unproven, market analysts caution that volatile market conditions can lead to significant fluctuations in the value of certain tokens. These fluctuations are often a result of short-term supply-demand factors and market sentiment. Particularly when key support levels are breached, triggered stop-loss selling and the unwinding of leveraged positions can intensify price declines in a short period.
Moving forward, investors are advised to monitor whether XRP can recover lost support levels and whether weakness in the XRP/bitcoin pair persists. Key indicators to watch include flows from large wallets, changes in trading volume, and the overall market risk appetite. Despite the uncertainty surrounding XRP’s recent decline, market observers emphasize a cautious approach to navigating the volatile cryptocurrency market landscape.
