Why Is XRP Price Outperforming Bitcoin After the 2026 Crypto Crash?

XRP jumped roughly 38% after the February 6 crypto crash. Bitcoin, by comparison, recovered about 14%. Ethereum posted around 12%. The gap is hard to ignore.

In a recent breakdown, crypto analyst CryptoWendyO noted that XRP spiked from lows around $1.12 to approximately $1.67 at its peak before settling back. Coins were also moving off Binance, which she read as a sign of accumulation, meaning investors were pulling XRP into cold storage rather than gearing up to sell.

Still, Wendy pushed back on the hype.

“This is not shocking in any way, shape, or form,” she said. “Altcoins are more volatile and they generally always see greater gains” than Bitcoin because of smaller market caps.

But XRP’s rally has more behind it.

XRP ETF Inflows Cross $1.37B

XRP spot ETFs launched in mid-November 2025 and saw cumulative inflows cross $1.37 billion by early January 2026. That $1 billion milestone came faster than any crypto ETF except Bitcoin, backed by a 35-day streak of uninterrupted inflows.

This happened while Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs were seeing outflows in the billions.

Related: Bitcoin Bear Market Could Drag On for Months as ETF Demand Stays Negative

On top of that, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was appointed to the CFTC’s newly formed Innovation Advisory Committee on February 12. The 35-member panel will advise U.S. regulators on blockchain, digital assets, and emerging financial technology.

History Says This Isn’t Over Yet

Wendy also pointed to Bitcoin Magazine data showing that each cycle’s maximum drawdown has been compressing: 87%, 84%, 77%, and about 52% so far in this cycle.

She doesn’t believe the drawdown will stop at 45%. Her conservative target puts Bitcoin’s bottom around $54,000 to $55,000, a zone that lines up with strong weekly support from 2021.

She expects Bitcoin to consolidate between $61,000 and $74,000 before potentially breaking down to that level.

Also Read: XRP Community Day 2026: Grayscale, Solana, Gemini Join Ripple’s Global Event

Which Altcoins Could Lead the Next Move?

Wendy outlined the traits she expects winning altcoins to share: crypto spot ETFs, AI integration, DeFi use cases, real-world asset tokenization, and privacy features layered on top.

She also flagged capital rotating into prediction markets, driven largely by former memecoin traders who have grown tired of the current market.

“There’s trillions and trillions of dollars that is currently waiting to enter into crypto.”

The infrastructure is building and regulatory clarity is expected by end of February. The question now is timing.