XRP derivatives traders are bullish. Open interest in XRP futures jumped more than 1% in 24 hours to $2.86 billion, with activity rising on both CME and Binance, suggesting that traders with real money at stake are betting on a move higher.
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A familiar pattern in the data
On-chain analytics company Santiment has tagged a A shift in the mood of the audience on May 26, noting that the ratio of bullish to bearish comments on social media had dropped to 1.1:1.
This puts sentiment at its highest level of fear in three weeks, a level that has historically been followed by short-term price stabilization or rebound.
Santiment’s logic is straightforward: when fear reaches its peak, the weak hands are already out, and whales or institutions tend to step in and absorb the selling pressure.
XRP It was trading at $1.33 at reporting time, up about 1% from a 24-hour low of $1.32. Trading volume rose 5% over the same period, adding some weight to the rally.
📉 XRP fan sentiment has turned sharply negative again, with the ratio of positive to negative comments dropping to just 1.1 bullish comments for every 1 bearish comment. Historically, this kind of fear and skepticism has often been a contrarian signal for the price of XRP. pic.twitter.com/KGubO783yE
– Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) May 25, 2026
On the daily chart, the symbol remains below its 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages, and the RSI is near 41. Reports suggest that a breakout above the multi-month trend line could open the door towards $1.50.
Ripple and vortex circle rumors
Much of the chatter surrounding XRP on Monday focused on a potential takeover. Speculation has been rife that Ripple is preparing to buy stablecoin issuer Circle for $11 billion.
Rumor It was traced back to a post made by the XRP Ledger Foundation on X which simply read: “Tomorrow will be a great day.” No executive from either company addressed this speculation.
🚨 Rumor Alert 🚨
It is noteworthy that Ripple acquired Circle, an issuer of the USDC stablecoin, for $61 billion.
The official announcement is supposed to be made later today.
If true, this would be one of the biggest moves in cryptocurrency history. đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/Lpr7o7eX4D
— John Squire XRP 🇺🇸 (@TheCryptoSquire) May 25, 2026
This is not the first time such a rumor has appeared. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse publicly denied a Bloomberg report last year that said Ripple pursued Circle at a valuation of $4 billion to $5 billion.
circleFor its part, it said that it is not for sale and that it is focusing on its initial public offering. Reports indicate that the XRP Ledger Foundation’s post was likely related to a major upgrade to the XRPL mainnet scheduled for May 27.
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Chris Larsen’s wallets are drawing attention
To add another thread to today’s activity, wallets linked to Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen have been reported to have become active again, with the timing drawing attention ahead of the US midterm elections. No further details about the transactions were immediately available.
The opposite dynamic tends to emerge during periods of extreme optimism, Santiment noted, when the bullish-to-bearish ratio rises to what she calls the FOMO zone, whale activity tends to wane and prices often decline.
Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
