CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost says XRP is facing its strongest derivatives selling pressure of 2026. This comes after XRP has surged nearly 70% in two weeks, climbing to a January high of around $1.70.
While strong ETF inflows and the $1.40 support level could help buyers push higher, heavy leverage liquidation could trigger a deeper pullback if XRP breaks below the $1.40 level.
Over the past weeks, XRP jumped around 70%, rising from below $1 to $1.70, while it gained nearly 20% this week alone. CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost also noted that the overall Total 2 crypto market cap added more than $183 billion in just a few days.
As XRP moved higher, futures activity also increased. Open interest jumped more than 34%, reaching around $3.45 billion to $3.66 billion. Binance’s leverage ratio also climbed to 0.21, its highest level in seven months.
This shows that more traders were taking larger leveraged positions as XRP continued to rise.
The rise in leverage has now become a problem for XRP. Binance’s net taker volume fell to around -$96 million, marking the strongest selling pressure seen in 2026. A negative reading means aggressive sellers are becoming more active.
As XRP started falling, many traders with large leveraged long positions were forced to close their trades. This added more selling pressure and triggered a long squeeze, with around $20 million in positions liquidated as XRP moved back toward $1.43.
Thus, Darkfost said XRP is now facing its “strongest derivatives selling pressure of 2026.”
Despite the heavy derivatives selling, spot demand for XRP remains strong. U.S. spot XRP ETFs recorded nine straight days of net inflows through August 26, adding another $28.14 million during the latest session.
Total ETF inflows have now reached nearly $1.62 billion, while Bitwise’s XRP ETF alone recorded $13.12 million in inflows.
For now, the $1.40 level has become important for XRP. If buyers keep absorbing the selling, short sellers could be forced to close their positions, which may give XRP another boost.
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