New York, Feb 9, 2026, 10:22 EST — Regular session
- XRP slipped roughly 1.5% over the last 24 hours, stretching out what’s been a tough week for the token.
- South Korea’s watchdog put exchange system risks back in the spotlight after a major mishap at Bithumb, keeping regulation on the radar.
- Traders are eyeing fund flows for signs of stability, and Friday’s U.S. CPI print could be the catalyst for the next move.
XRP slipped 1.5% to $1.44 on Monday, giving up ground after a turbulent week that erased nearly 12% from its value in seven days. According to CoinGecko, the token bounced between $1.38 and $1.46, with 24-hour trading volume coming in at $3.45 billion. 1
Crypto exchanges are coming under increased regulatory scrutiny over operational risks, following a mishap at Bithumb that saw more than $40 billion in bitcoin accidentally handed out as promotional rewards. The error sparked a wave of selling on the platform. South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service highlighted the incident as a clear signal for stricter oversight. “It is a case that shows the structural problems of electronic systems for virtual assets,” FSS governor Lee Chan-jin said at a press conference. 2
Fund-flow numbers, meanwhile, painted a more complicated picture. Crypto ETPs—publicly listed vehicles tied to digital asset prices—registered $187 million in outflows last week, CoinShares data revealed, marking a notable dropoff in selling pace compared to the previous two weeks. On the other hand, XRP-focused products pulled in around $63 million, bucking the broader trend. Bitcoin ETPs were the main source of outflows. James Butterfill of CoinShares floated the idea that the market “potential market nadir may have been reached.” 3
Ripple, the firm behind XRP, made headlines of its own early Monday. The company announced it’s rolling out new Ripple Custody partnerships with Securosys and Figment, touting both hardware-based key protection and “staking” capabilities. That’s aimed at clients looking to earn returns on assets like ether and solana by participating in proof-of-stake networks. “By bringing best-in-class security, compliance, and staking to Ripple Custody customers, we’re removing the friction,” said Aaron Slettehaugh, Ripple’s senior vice president of product. 4
XRP tends to behave like a high-beta outlier in crypto—quick to rally when risk appetite picks up, but just as swift to drop if investors retreat. Headlines about regulations, any bumps with exchanges, or shifts in daily liquidity—these hit the token hard.
Right now, eyes are on whether that recent drip of inflows to XRP products keeps up or fizzles out as just another move within a wary market. Institutional demand, if it materializes, tends to surface in listed products before making its mark on spot prices.
Still, the downside is hard to ignore. If regulators take a harsher line in major markets—or if another exchange mishap crops up—sentiment could sour quickly. Liquidity might vanish, and XRP could see abrupt price gaps, even if there’s no direct news tied to Ripple itself.
All eyes now turn to Friday, Feb. 13, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, when the January Consumer Price Index lands—traders tend to seize on this U.S. inflation readout as a signal for where rates could be headed, and whether risk appetites might shift. 5
