XRP Hangs by a Thread as SEC Vote Looms

XRP is holding above $1 as it waits for a landmark vote by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, August 14. The token has made a modest recovery to around $1.01, a 1.3% gain from its annual low of $0.9929 on August 11.

The SEC's 'Regulation Crypto' rule would provide a dedicated regulatory framework for digital assets in the US and could have significant implications for XRP's institutional appeal. The rule is seen as a strategic end-run around the CLARITY Act, which remains stuck in legislative limbo.

Institutional investors are already voting with their wallets, with 21Shares' XRP ETF experiencing a 54.4% drop in assets to $112.9 million in the first half of 2026. The Bitwise XRP ETF saw net inflows of $234.4 million despite posting a net loss of $176.6 million.

Retail investors appear to have sold in panic, while large investors are accumulating XRP, with around 380 million tokens worth about $390 million changing hands in a single week. The derivatives market is also showing heightened anxiety, with open interest in XRP futures reaching 2.67 billion tokens and funding rates spiking 211%.