XRP futures volume hits six-month high as derivatives activity surges past $64B
XRP (XRP)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
cryptobriefing.com reports that XRP futures trading volume surged past $64.6 billion in August, marking the highest monthly total since February. This derivatives activity coincided with a nearly 30% price climb, moving from $1.06 at the start of the month to a high of $1.50 on August 24 before settling around $1.35. Binance dominated the sector with $37 billion in futures volume, while Bybit recorded approximately $14.54 billion and OKX accounted for about $12.88 billion.
Spot trading also reached its highest level since February, with Binance leading at $7.28 billion. South Korean exchanges showed strong participation, with Upbit recording $4.68 billion and Bithumb Korea adding $2.59 billion in spot volume. US spot XRP ETFs saw net inflows of $18.96 million, pushing combined assets under management to $1.48 billion.
Whale accumulation patterns intensified during August, with large holders adding positions ahead of a critical vote scheduled for September 15. The broader narrative shifted as ETF products went live and attracted capital. Despite the price increase, futures activity showed elevated long and short interest, indicating no clear directional bias. This volume spike mirrors levels seen in February when the token traded in a similar range.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for XRP, measured when this story was written up on 7 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Whalio data shows XRP trading at $1.42 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 48.2%, indicating a near-even split between buyers and sellers. The 1-hour buy ratio dropped to 39.2%, suggesting short-term selling pressure, while the 4-hour ratio sat at 49.9%, closer to balance. Volume delta was negative across all timeframes, with -$3.5 million over 24 hours, meaning sell volume exceeded buy volume. A positive CVD of $5.3 million suggests that while recent flow is net selling, cumulative buying pressure remains intact over the day. Net buying occurred in 15 of the last 24 hours, showing intermittent buyer interest despite the current negative delta. Spot volume reached $100.3 million with 475,044 trades, reflecting active market participation.
The latest daily buy ratio of 50.6% sits at the 83rd percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 48.5% - stronger buying than most days.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for XRP, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, the average buy ratio was 50.0%, making the current 24-hour ratio of 48.2% slightly below the weekly norm by 1.8 points. Weekly volume was 0.58x the average, indicating a quieter trading environment compared to recent history. Net buying occurred on 3 of the last 7 days, with a total volume delta of +$2.07 million for the period. The price rose 4.9% over eight days, contrasting with the immediate negative delta seen in the last 24 hours. This suggests that while the weekly trend is positive, the current day is less active and slightly more bearish than the weekly average.