XRP derivatives traders are leaning bullish. Open interest in XRP futures jumped more than 1% in 24 hours to $2.86 billion, with activity climbing on both CME and Binance, signaling that traders with real money on the line are betting on a move up.<\/p>\n
On-chain analytics firm Santiment flagged a shift in crowd mood<\/a> on May 26, pointing out that the bullish-to-bearish comment ratio on social media had slipped to 1.1:1.<\/p>\n That places sentiment at its most fearful in three weeks, a level that has historically been followed by short-term price stabilization or a bounce.<\/p>\n Santiment\u2019s reasoning is straightforward: when fear peaks, weak hands have already exited, and whales or institutions tend to step in and absorb the sell pressure.<\/p>\n XRP<\/a> was trading at $1.33 at the time of reporting, up about 1% from a 24-hour low of $1.32. Volume climbed 5% over the same period, adding some weight to the uptick.<\/p>\n XRP\u2019s crowd sentiment has swung sharply negative again, with the ratio of positive to negative commentary dropping to just 1.1 bullish comments for every 1 bearish comment. Historically, this kind of fear and skepticism has often acted as a contrarian signal for XRP\u2019s price.\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KGubO783yE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) May 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n On the daily chart, the token is still below its 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages, and the Relative Strength Index is sitting near 41. A break above a multi-month trendline, reports indicate, could open the door toward $1.50.<\/p>\n Much of the chatter swirling around XRP on Monday centered on a possible acquisition. Speculation spread that Ripple is preparing to buy stablecoin issuer Circle at a price tag of $11 billion.<\/p>\n The rumor<\/a> was traced back to a post by the XRP Ledger Foundation on X that simply read: \u201cTomorrow\u2019s going to be a great day.\u201d No executives from either company have addressed the speculation.<\/p>\n RUMOR ALERT <\/p>\n It is being reported that Ripple has acquired Circle, the issuer of the $61B stablecoin USDC.<\/p>\n An official announcement is supposedly expected later today.<\/p>\n If true, this would be one of the BIGGEST moves in crypto history. pic.twitter.com\/Lpr7o7eX4D<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John Squire XRP (@TheCryptoSquire) May 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n This is not the first time such a rumor has surfaced. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse publicly denied a Bloomberg report last year that said Ripple had pursued Circle at a valuation of $4 to $5 billion.<\/p>\nRipple And Circle Rumors Swirl<\/h2>\n