XRP is holding above $1.40 after an 11% weekly gain that trailed only Solana and Hyperliquid among the 10 largest cryptocurrencies, even as spot and derivatives markets send conflicting signals. Analyst Darkfost reported that whales withdrew 231 million XRP from Binance, the largest such move in six months and more than $335 million in a single day versus a 90-day average near $40 million, reducing exchange supply during a recovery in which XRP gained roughly 70%. Binance net taker volume hit its strongest 2026 sell-side imbalance at about -$96 million while open interest rose approximately 14.8%, a mix consistent with new short positioning rather than only long closures. XRP Ledger metrics remain mixed: transactions per ledger jumped 187.9% to 189.29 as closed ledgers fell 74.4%, payments rose 19.3%, but successful and total transactions, active and new accounts, and payment volume weakened sharply. After advancing from near $1.00 to a recent $1.70 peak, XRP was last cited around $1.41 above a long-term moving average near $1.35, with RSI cooled to about 68. Darkfost said continued accumulation could support a test of $2, while the spot-versus-derivatives tug of war remains decisive around the $1.35–$1.40 zone.