A recent surge in XRP Ledger (XRPL) payment counts has caught the attention of the broader crypto market, raising questions about what could be driving this massive rally. The latest milestone comes after XRP saw renewed whale accumulation even as prices continued to trend downward amid rising volatility. 

XRP Ledger Records Mysterious Surge In Payment Count

Data from XRP’s leading blockchain explorer, XRPScan, shows that on May 19, the number of XRP payments from one account to another was sitting around just 766,051. However, over the next few days, the payment count rose sharply, surpassing 1.22 million on May 22, representing a more than 300,000 increase in users. 

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Before this surge, the payment count from one account to another consistently ranged between 700,000 and 800,000, making the latest rally a bit unnatural. Interestingly, XRP Ledger payment volume during the same period saw only a modest change. On May 19, volume stood at approximately 434.9 million, edging up to 486.2 million on May 22, reflecting a minor rise of just over 51 million, which hardly mirrors the dramatic spike in user accounts. 

Source: Chart from XRPScan

Given the recent decline in the XRP price and the prolonged sideways movement, the unexpected surge in user count on the ledger is suspicious. It begs the question of where these users came from and, more importantly, why they arrived at a time when market enthusiasm appears muted. Typically, when a cryptocurrency’s user count increases as price declines, it suggests two things: either genuine accumulation by XRP holders or a coordinated wallet activity. 

Notably, Nepetia, an XRP supporter who also noticed the unusual surge in payment count, has shared comments on it. In a May 24 X post, she stated that even as the market continues pulling back, XRP’s payment count and volume continue to rise, indicating underlying strength. 

Nepetia said that whales have also accumulated over 71 million XRP in just seven days while Spot XRP ETFs continue to post positive inflows. Against this backdrop, she noted that these recent developments are important market signals suggesting the XRP price may be preparing for a sharp move.

XRP Whales Step Back From Accumulating

XRP Whales had been actively buying tokens over the past few months. However, the latest report from crypto analyst Ali Martinez reveals that in the last nine days, whale activity on the XRP Ledger has dropped from 157 large transactions worth over $1 million to just 67, as of May 23. He noted that this gap represents a decline of more than 57.3% in whale activity.

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Interpreting the movements, Martinez explained that when large-scale transaction volume decreases by this magnitude, it suggests that the market could be entering a major compression phase. He noted that whales appear to have stepped back from accumulating, allowing the current XRP price range, between $1.3 and $1.4, to settle. He stated that this shift naturally reduces immediate volatility and allows order books to mature.

XRP trading at $1.36 on the 1D chart | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

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