An XRPL validator working beneath the title Grapedrop, or Grape, has revealed information that he claims exhibits patterns of buying and selling exercise manipulation able to influencing the value of XRP. The information, which was first posted on the social media platform X, consists of screenshots from the XRPL Console and examples of reside transactions, forming what the validator described as a transparent on-ledger footprint of unusually massive and repetitive transfers between change addresses.
Validator Alleges Wash Trading Patterns On The XRP Ledger
Out of roughly 1,000 XRPL nodes in existence, about 150 to 170 are energetic validators, and Grape’s node is one among them. Grape confirmed that he has been working a validator since July 12, 2025, which has given him real-time oversight of transactions on the community. Interestingly, Grape said that his findings are the results of systematic monitoring utilizing a customized Python device that’s designed to watch and flag funds above 10,000 XRP.
Since activating his validator, he has documented 1000’s of such high-value actions, typically involving widespread crypto exchanges like Bitget and Binance. His flagged transactions embody examples corresponding to 49,900 XRP, 67,655 XRP, and 146,757 XRP, with related transfers recorded a number of occasions per hour and 1000’s of volumes a day.
The locations and sources of those funds typically hook up with exchange-controlled wallets. However, the amount and frequency are standing effectively above the conventional retail exercise. The screenshots shared present constant high-value actions to and from these crypto exchanges.
An instance is proven within the Console information under. Transactions embody 3,018,977.72 XRP, 460,119 XRP, and 146,757.57 XRP, originating from one Binance-controlled pockets to a different. This pattern is extra of an organized sample fairly than regular buying and selling exercise amongst merchants.
Is The XRP Price Being Manipulated?
Grape defined that XRP’s worth is usually calculated utilizing volume-weighted averages. As such, repeatedly transferring massive volumes between exchanges can inflate these quantity figures and manipulate the calculations of market cap.
This exercise, known as wash buying and selling, is finished to create an impression of synthetic demand, which in flip methods different folks or different automated bots into shopping for into the crypto.
Responses to the findings by the XRPL validator have been divided, however most feedback on his social media posts appear to agree with the manipulation rationalization. One of the responses got here from “Crypto Bitlord,” an account with over 415,000 followers on the social media platform. “It appears fairly correct. And what you present in a short while think about what you’ll discover over time,” he mentioned.
In response, Grape famous that an enhanced model to deeply analyze and establish XRP worth manipulation is at present being developed.
Grapedrop’s findings definitely increase concern, however they cease in need of really proving worth manipulation. At the time of writing, XRP is buying and selling at $3.27, up by 1.5% prior to now 24 hours.
Featured picture from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
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