New York, Feb 3, 2026, 17:18 EST — Trading after hours.
- XRP slipped roughly 1.3% over the last 24 hours, hovering around $1.60
- Ripple announced it secured a full electronic-money licence from Luxembourg, granting it EU-wide authorization
- Traders watch forced unwinds in leveraged crypto bets closely while tracking the macro calendar
XRP slipped roughly 1.3% in the last 24 hours, hovering near $1.60, as uncertainty persisted in digital assets despite recent updates from the payments sector. (CoinMarketCap)
The token’s slide follows a tough run for crypto markets, with bitcoin-related liquidations hitting $2.56 billion in the past few days, per CoinGlass data cited by Reuters. “Investors were looking for an excuse to lighten up and they finally got several,” said David Morrison of Trade Nation, highlighting a wider risk-off sentiment affecting stocks and metals too. (Reuters)
Ripple announced Monday it has secured full approval for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. This licence allows the company to issue electronic money and offer regulated payment services, paving the way to expand its payment operations across the European Union. “Securing our full EMI license in the EU is a transformative milestone that reinforces Ripple’s presence at the heart of European finance,” said Cassie Craddock, its UK & Europe managing director. (Ripple)
Bitcoin slipped roughly 3% in the last 24 hours, hovering near $76,100. Ether dropped about 2% to close in on $2,285, adding strain to smaller tokens that typically track the wider market. (CoinMarketCap)
At crypto desks, the focus has moved from hunting for the next catalyst to sizing up how much leverage remains in play. Traders warned that weekend liquidity runs thin, making price gaps prone to sudden jumps—especially when macro headlines rattle rate forecasts.
Macro factors are back in play. Reuters’ Morning Bid highlighted that major U.S. labor reports have been postponed due to the partial government shutdown, leaving a data void that’s fueling uncertainty over the next moves for rates and the dollar. (Reuters)
Ripple’s latest licence marks another step in Europe’s regulatory tightening — a move traders say is significant for the company. Still, it won’t shield XRP from the usual volatility tied to shifts in risk appetite and funding conditions.
That said, a sharp drop in bitcoin or a fresh wave of forced liquidations could pull XRP down too, regardless of any progress on licensing. Volatility works in both directions.
Some XRP traders are keeping an eye on inflows into exchange-traded products linked to the token, such as Grayscale’s GXRP. Notably, the fee waiver on GXRP is set to expire on Feb. 24. (Grayscale)
