New York, March 2, 2026, 17:18 EST — Trading after the bell.
- XRP picked up close to 3% in the past day, holding around $1.40 after slipping over the weekend.
- Traders are juggling Middle East conflict risk and a DTCC/NSCC directory update tied to Hidden Road, which is connected to Ripple’s institutional ambitions.
- Focus shifts to Tuesday: markets watching for new Iran developments, and XRP traders eyeing whether the $1.30 support can hold.
XRP clawed back about 3% over the past day, bringing the price near $1.40 as of Monday, after the token dipped to approximately $1.27 during the weekend slump. Prices fluctuated between $1.34 and $1.41 in the last 24 hours, CoinGecko data show. CoinGecko
Crypto markets bounced as traders scrambled to keep up with shifting headlines from the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, now spilling into Israeli strikes on Lebanon and ongoing Iranian missile and drone assaults across Gulf states, according to Reuters. The fighting has snarled shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and sent energy prices surging, binding crypto more tightly to swings in risk sentiment. Reuters
Brent crude jumped as much as 13%, while bitcoin climbed 4.92% to $68,920, according to Reuters. Steve Englander, who heads global G10 FX research and North America macro strategy at Standard Chartered in New York, called it “mostly about exposure to oil.” Over at Bannockburn Global Forex, chief market strategist Marc Chandler flagged “uncertainty” over how the conflict resolves. Reuters
Something XRP-specific cropped up in market mechanics. An “Important Notice” from the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), part of DTCC, flagged a new entry in the NSCC MPID directory: “Hidden Road Partners CIV US LLC,” tagged with the code “HRFI” and a first trade date of March 2. These MPIDs act as shorthand for trading and clearing firms. DTCC
Hidden Road, now rebranded as Ripple Prime after Ripple’s acquisition, showed up on the DTCC’s NSCC directory Monday, according to U.Today. The move is being talked up as an early step toward shifting institutional post-trade operations—including clearing, settlement, and the rest—onto the XRP Ledger. “Post-trade” in this context means what happens after a deal closes. U.Today
Hidden Road, in its April 2025 acquisition release, said it would “migrate post-trade activity across XRP Ledger (XRPL).” Ripple’s Brad Garlinghouse called it “an inflection point for the next phase of digital asset adoption.” Founder Marc Asch pointed to a boost in capacity and market coverage spanning more asset classes. HiddenRoad
XRP drew fresh interest after a proposal surfaced to enable options trading within the XRP Ledger ecosystem. TradingView News pointed to a post from XRPL Labs software engineer Denis Angell, who linked to a GitHub document outlining an “options sidechain.” The idea: a separate network that connects to the main chain, designed to bring options contracts—giving holders the right but not the obligation to buy or sell at a specific price by a certain date—directly on-chain. TradingView
The setup remains shaky. If XRP drops under $1.27, bears might press it down toward the $1.11-$1.00 zone, according to Investing.com. Resistance isn’t far off, sitting up at $1.39-$1.49. The outlet highlights just how sharp XRP’s moves can get once traders start to de-risk. Investing.com UK
XRP trades nonstop. It tends to echo bitcoin’s moves during major macro jolts—sometimes trailing behind, sometimes swinging harder—while leveraged bets unwind or reload in choppy, thin markets.
Coming up Tuesday, March 3, sentiment faces its next quick check. Overnight Iran news and fresh oil price swings are likely to set the tone, while traders also watch for any new DTCC directory headlines. As for XRP, the playbook isn’t complicated: first, defend that $1.30 mark; then, watch if buyers can drive it back into the $1.40s, provided risk-off pressure doesn’t flare up again.
