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XRP ETFs in Green For 3 Week, But Price Remains Stuck

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XRP ETFs

XRP price has traded mostly flat over the past 24 hours and the past week. This sideways move shows clear market indecision. On the surface, institutional activity looks supportive. XRP spot ETFs have now recorded three straight weeks of inflows. But underneath this positive trend, a hidden weakness is quietly building.

Several technical and on-chain signals suggest XRP may be closer to a breakdown than it appears.

ETF Inflows Stay Positive, But Institutional Strength Is Rapidly Fading

XRP spot ETFs have recorded inflows for three straight weeks. The week ending February 6 saw $36.04 million in inflows. By the week ending February 20, inflows had fallen further to just $1.84 million.

This represents a drop of nearly 95% in weekly inflows within three weeks.

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XRP ETFs
XRP ETFs: SoSo Value

ETF inflows show how much institutional money is entering an asset. Rising inflows usually signal growing confidence. But falling inflows, even if still positive, show that institutional conviction is weakening quickly.

This institutional slowdown is already visible on the chart. XRP fell below its weekly Volume Weighted Average Price, or VWAP, on February 18 and hasn’t reclaimed the line since.

VWAP represents the average price weighted by volume. It is widely used as a proxy for institutional cost basis and is referred to by big money as a benchmark.

When the price falls below VWAP, it means institutions are holding positions at a loss on average. This often reduces their willingness to buy more. The last time XRP broke its weekly VWAP, it fell nearly 26%. The correction since February 18 is also continuing.

XRP Key Level
XRP Key Level: TradingView

At the same time, XRP is close to forming a hidden bearish divergence between February 6 and February 20. During this period, the XRP price seems to be printing a lower high. But the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, already formed a higher high.

RSI measures momentum. When momentum rises, but price fails to follow, it signals weakening recovery strength and a possible downtrend extension for XRP if $1.379 breaks. A clear price-specific confirmation would occur if the current XRP price fails to reach or exceed $1.439.

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Together, weakening ETF inflows, VWAP loss, and bearish divergence show that institutional strength is fading despite the positive ETF streak.

Exchange Flows and Dip Buying Explain Why Price Has Not Collapsed Yet

Despite falling below the VWAP, XRP has not collapsed sharply, like earlier. On-chain data helps explain why.

One key metric is Exchange Net Position Change. This tracks whether coins are moving into or out of exchanges. Outflows usually signal buying, while falling outflows show weakening demand.

On February 18, exchange outflows peaked near 71.32 million XRP. Recently, outflows dropped to around 41.69 million XRP. This marks a decline of about 41%.

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Buying Pressure Remains Weak
Buying Pressure Remains Weak: Glassnode

This shows that buying pressure has weakened significantly but still remains.

Another indicator shows buyers are still active. The Money Flow Index, or MFI, tracks real capital entering an asset. Between February 6 and February 19, the XRP price trended lower.

But MFI trended higher. This divergence shows dip buyers are slowly accumulating even as the price weakens.

MFI Moves Up
MFI Moves Up: TradingView

This dip buying helps explain why XRP has remained relatively stable after losing its VWAP. Buyers are absorbing selling pressure. This has prevented an immediate collapse so far. But this support is limited. If dip buying weakens, downside risk could increase quickly.

XRP Price Faces Critical $1.25 Test as Cost Basis Cluster Becomes Final Support

Cost basis data now shows XRP approaching a critical support zone. Cost basis represents the prices at which investors previously bought XRP.

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These levels often act as strong support or resistance. The most important support cluster currently sits near $1.26, hosting over 159 million XRP.

XRP Heatmap
XRP Heatmap: Glassnode

This is where a large number of holders bought XRP. As long as this level holds, the XRP price may avoid a deeper crash beyond 12% even if the immediate support zone at $1.35-$1.37 breaks.

However, if XRP falls below $1.26 ($1.259 on the chart), selling pressure could accelerate sharply. The next major downside levels would appear near $1.162 and $1.024.

XRP Price Analysis
XRP Price Analysis: TradingView

On the upside, XRP must first reclaim $1.439. A stronger recovery would require moves above $1.476 and $1.549. Only a breakout above $1.670 would fully cut the bearish momentum.

For now, XRP remains stuck between weakening institutional support and steady dip buying. ETF inflows are still positive, but falling rapidly.

Technical and on-chain signals show that $1.259 is now the most important level that could determine XRP’s next major move, especially if the bearish divergence and VWAP weakness continue to play out.

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Crypto World

How Much Ethereum (ETH) Does He Actually Own?

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How Much Ethereum (ETH) Does He Actually Own?


Data from Arkham shows the majority of Buterin’s wealth remains tied directly to token price swings rather than diversified holdings.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin holds more than 240,000 ETH, currently valued at approximately $467 million, according to blockchain intelligence platform Arkham’s investigation into his on-chain holdings.

The analysis established Buterin as the largest accessible individual holder of Ethereum, though institutional players and exchange wallets dominate the top rankings of ETH ownership.

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Buterin’s Portfolio Composition and Recent Transactions

The Arkham investigation, published on February 17, provided a detailed breakdown of Buterin’s known crypto assets. His Ethereum holdings have gradually declined over the years, from 662,810 ETH in December 2015, which represented 0.91% of the total supply, to the current 240,010 ETH, which now accounts for about 0.20% of all ETH in circulation.

This reduction stems from both periodic sales and the network’s inflationary supply increases over time. Beyond ETH, Buterin holds smaller positions in several tokens, including 10 billion WHITE worth about $1.16 million, 30 billion MOODENG tokens valued at about $442,000, and 869,509 KNC tokens.

His portfolio also includes roughly $11,000 in Tornado Cash’s TORN token, reflecting past usage of the privacy mixer for donations, including funds sent to Ukraine. Recent on-chain activity shows Buterin moving significant sums in alignment with his public commitments, including a 16,384 ETH withdrawal in late January 2026, worth around $43 million at current prices, to support open-source infrastructure development.

This followed his announcement that the Ethereum Foundation is entering a period of “mild austerity,” with Buterin personally assuming funding responsibilities for certain projects to ensure the Foundation’s long-term sustainability. Subsequent sales of around 2,961 ETH over three days in early February, valued at about $6.6 million, were routed through CoW Protocol using small swaps to minimize market impact.

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Arkham’s assessment of the broader Ethereum holder landscape revealed that institutions and exchanges occupy the top positions. For instance, the ETH2 beacon deposit contract holds over 60% of the total supply, with Binance, BlackRock, and Coinbase ranking among the largest entities.

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Notably, the single largest individual holder is Rain Lohmus, who possesses 250,000 ETH worth $786 million. However, these funds are inaccessible due to lost private keys, a situation Lohmus acknowledged publicly in 2023.

Wealth Trajectory and Philanthropic Focus

Buterin’s net worth has followed Ethereum’s volatile price history closely, given that ETH constitutes over 99% of his known portfolio. He briefly achieved billionaire status in 2021 when the token crossed $3,000, with his holdings peaking at $2.09 billion in November of that year.

Nonetheless, the subsequent bear market reduced his wealth by close to 75% by December 2022. In 2025, rising ETH prices again pushed his net worth above $1 billion during August’s all-time high near $5,000, though recent market corrections, which pushed ETH below $2,000, have brought valuations back to current levels.

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His wealth originated primarily from the 2014 Ethereum pre-sale, where 16.53% of the initial 72 million ETH supply was allocated to founders. A $100,000 Thiel Fellowship grant that same year allowed Buterin to leave the University of Waterloo and dedicate himself fully to Ethereum development.

Unlike many crypto founders who have accumulated substantial stakes in centralized companies, Buterin’s wealth remains almost entirely liquid and tied directly to the network he helped create.

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Trump’s Tariff Announcement Met With a Torrent of Criticism

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US Government, United States, Donald Trump

The tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and the 10% global tariff announced by Trump on Friday have drawn critical reactions from US lawmakers, Washington, DC-based think tanks and attorneys. 

US Senator Rand Paul said that the Trump tariffs are a tax increase on “working families and small businesses,” characterizing them as a net negative on the economy.

“Those tariffs weren’t about security — they were a tax on families and small businesses to bankroll a reckless trade war,” US Congressperson Ro Khanna said

US Government, United States, Donald Trump
Source: Rep. Ro Khanna

On Friday, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) struck down Trump’s authority to levy tariffs under the IEEPA, which Trump responded to by announcing new 10% global tariffs.

Scott Lincicome, Vice President of Cato’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, a Washington DC-based think tank, was also critical of the tariffs. In comments shared with Cointelegraph, he said:

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“Even without IEEPA, other US laws and the Trump administration’s repeated promises all but ensure that much higher tariffs will remain the norm, damaging the economy and foreign relations in the process.”

Trump’s tariffs typically had a negative impact on crypto markets and other risk-on assets. However, crypto prices stayed relatively stable amid the most recent round of tariffs, with Bitcoin’s (BTC) price rising by about 3% after the announcement.  

US Government, United States, Donald Trump
The Total3 indicator, which tracks the market cap of the entire crypto market, excluding Bitcoin and Ether, barely moved following the tariff announcement. Source: TradingView

Related: Bitcoin ignores US Supreme Court Trump tariff strike amid talk of $150B refund

Trump announces an additional 10% tariff, but pro-crypto attorney says legal scope is limited

“Effective immediately, all national security tariffs, Section 232, and existing Section 301 tariffs, remain in place, and in full force and effect. Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff,” Trump announced on Friday.

US Government, United States, Donald Trump
President Trump announces a 10% global tariff. Source: The White House

The new 10% global tariff will be imposed on top of already existing tariff rates, Trump added. However, the legal statutes Trump cited are limited in scope, according to pro-crypto attorney Adam Cochran.

“The law he is using only allows this to be on countries we have a deficit with, for a set period of 150 days, and at a capped percent,” he said.

Magazine: Harris’ unrealized gains tax could ‘tank markets’: Nansen’s Alex Svanevik, X Hall of Flame

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