XRP Drops 5% as Leverage Hits a Seven-Month High—but ETF Demand Holds

By Isaac • August 26, 2026 7:16 am •

XRP is finally cooling off after one of the sharpest rallies in the crypto market—and the pullback is exposing how quickly leverage piled back in.

The token traded near $1.44 early Wednesday, down roughly 5% over 24 hours after briefly pushing above $1.50. Even after that drop, XRP remained up about 44% for the week.

That is the tension now sitting under the market: the larger move still looks powerful, but the short-term trade has become crowded enough that an ordinary round of profit-taking can turn violent.

CCN reports that XRP’s estimated leverage ratio on Binance has climbed to its highest level in more than seven months. The ratio compares futures open interest with the amount