XRP Rallies 552% in Whale Surge as Institutional Interest in ETH Grows

- XRP posts 552% annual gains, driven by whale accumulation. - Institutional firms like BlackRock increase ETH holdings, signaling long-term confidence. On July 24, 2025, Cointelegraph reported that XRP has significantly outperformed Ethereum (ETH) in yearly and year-to-date (YTD) performance, with whale accumulation driving its growth. In contrast, while concentrated ownership fueled XRP’s gains, Ether has attracted increasing institutional interest from major firms like BlackRock, Bit Digital, and BTCS. The report detailed that XRP’s value climbed an impressive 552% between July 2024 and July 2025, while its year-to-date gain was 49%, rising from $2.08 to $3.10. This performance was bolstered by a growing concentration of wealth among large holders, or whales, with the report noting that 2,743 wallets now collectively hold over 47.32 billion tokens. This accumulation reportedly drove a 50% price increase in the first half of July alone. In contrast, ETH posted more muted growth, recording a 6.34% increase between July 2024 and July 2025 as its price moved from $3,432 to $3,630. The year-to-date gain was 9.5%. Despite this slower price performance, institutional investors have increasingly targeted ETH. For instance, the Cointelegraph report noted that Bit Digital raised its Ether holdings to 120,306 ETH and BTCS increased its stake to 55,788 ETH, with their combined position valued at $242.2 million. Adding to ETH's institutional momentum, BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) surpassed $10 billion in assets under management, becoming the third-fastest ETF to reach this milestone. Furthermore, BlackRock recently acquired 86,650 ETH for $324.6 million. This acquisition reinforces institutional confidence in Ethereum as a key component of future financial infrastructure and suggests potential for its long-term market growth. According to CoinMarketCap data on July 24, Ethereum (ETH) was trading at $3,740.49 as of 21:09 UTC, with its 24-hour trading volume up 4.69%. Meanwhile, XRP was trading at $3.23 as of 21:08 UTC, with its 24-hour volume having increased by 1.99%.