Between December 2024 and February 2026, the total number of XRP wallets increased from 5.97 million to 7.79 million, adding roughly 1.82 million addresses. The strongest growth came from wallets holding less than 500 XRP, a sign that smaller investors are entering the ecosystem in larger numbers. Accounts holding between 500 and 10,000 XRP also kept rising, pointing to continued accumulation by individual holders rather than a market driven only by large balances.
Ownership thresholds are moving lower
The distribution of XRP holdings now appears more spread out than in prior years. According to the source material, an investor needs about 7,700 XRP to rank in the top 5% of holders, while the threshold for the top 1% is around 46,400 XRP. Lower entry points into those upper tiers suggest that XRP ownership is no longer as concentrated among a limited group of large accounts. The article frames that shift as a healthier ownership structure, with a broader base of users and less concentration risk.
Wallet composition is also changing at the top end. Accounts holding more than 1 million XRP have seen a slight decline in their share, while new retail wallets are absorbing liquidity across the network. That makes the rise in wallet numbers more than a simple growth statistic. It also reflects wider participation in the XRP Ledger and a holder base that is becoming less centralized.
Ripple keeps attention on infrastructure and compliance
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has repeatedly said XRP’s long-term case is tied to infrastructure rather than short-term price action. The company’s focus remains on regulated cross-border payments, stronger liquidity management, and tokenization of real-world assets. The source says some institutional players are building positions quietly during volatile periods, aiming to strengthen XRP’s role inside the changing structure of international finance.
The article also notes an ongoing debate over whether XRP can separate from Bitcoin-led price movements. In that context, the current accumulation phase is presented as an important one. Signs of institutional adoption and expectations around ETF inflows are shifting XRP’s image from a standard crypto asset toward a global payments solution. At the same time, improvements in liquidity pools and technical progress on the XRP Ledger are expanding the network’s use cases.
Wallet rankings, holder distribution, and infrastructure development together suggest that the XRP ecosystem is changing in structure, with long-term holders remaining active as participation broadens.