NEW YORK, Feb 6, 2026, 10:09 ET — Regular session
- XRP jumped roughly 5.5%, reaching about $1.44 and recouping losses from the past two days.
- Bitcoin bounced back over $65,000, helping crypto hold steady despite a tech-driven risk selloff.
- Ripple announced that Ripple Prime now supports Hyperliquid, enabling institutional access to on-chain derivatives.
XRP climbed 5.5% to roughly $1.44 on Friday, recovering from earlier steep losses as investors returned to riskier crypto plays. The token’s market cap hovered around $88 billion, with 24-hour trading volume exceeding $14.5 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. 1
The bounce is crucial as the selloff has stretched far beyond digital tokens. Global markets are shaken by a tech-driven slump and growing skepticism over the promised $600 billion AI spending surge by Big Tech. Software stocks took a hit, dragging broader sentiment down. “Is the AI sugar rush over?” wondered Carlota Estragues Lopez, equity strategist at St. James’s Place. Traders are also factoring in a higher likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut at the March meeting. 2
Bitcoin bounced back above $65,000 and ether edged higher, though both remain set for their biggest weekly losses since late 2022, Reuters reported. Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone, noted, “A lot of these big crowded positions are being unwound very, very quickly.” Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association, called it the “bill coming due” for those who saw crypto as a one-way bet. 3
XRP outpaced the major cryptos, dropping almost 20% on Thursday before bouncing back Friday. In the most recent session, it traded between about $1.12 and $1.47, according to 5 .
Ripple shifted attention back to institutional infrastructure. On Feb. 4, the company announced that Ripple Prime, its prime brokerage platform, now supports Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives venue. This upgrade gives clients on-chain derivatives liquidity and lets them “cross-margin” exposures—using a single collateral pool across multiple positions—alongside other asset classes. “This strategic extension … will enhance our clients’ access to liquidity,” said Michael Higgins, international CEO of Ripple Prime. 4
XRP, Ripple’s token on the XRP Ledger, often acts as a stand-in for risk appetite across the altcoin space. This link means it’s vulnerable to sharp moves whenever investors scramble into or out of speculative bets.
The rebound doesn’t undo the damage. Crypto has been falling for months since last year’s peaks, and low liquidity often magnifies weekend swings, particularly in smaller tokens.
But the recovery remains fragile. A fresh slump in tech stocks, rising yields, or another surge of forced selling in leveraged trades could push XRP back to the $1.10-$1.20 range that held earlier this week. Breaking below that might speed up the sell-off.
Traders are keeping an eye on whether XRP can maintain the $1.40 level and if bitcoin remains above $65,000 as U.S. markets work through the tech sell-off. The Fed’s policy decision on March 18 is the next major date to watch.
