XRP Faces Allegations of Systematic Price Manipulation

A major holder of XRP has voiced concerns over what he describes as a consistent scheme to artificially inflate the token's price prior to the opening of U.S. markets, only to see it plummet once trading begins. This issue has divided the XRP community, with some believing there is a coordinated manipulation, while others argue the situation is simply part of standard market behavior.

Key Takeaways

XRP is facing allegations of systematic price manipulation by a major holder.
Arthur highlights a pattern where XRP price surges before U.S. market opens and drops thereafter, referring to it as the "new Jane Street playbook."
The XRP community is divided, with some attributing these price movements to market manipulation and others viewing them as typical liquidity shifts and profit-taking behaviors.
Ripple’s recent developments have not positively impacted XRP prices, which remain significantly below earlier highs.

Featured image from ECS Payments, chart from TradingView

XRP

Understanding the Allegation

Arthur, a prominent figure in the XRP community, shared a price chart illustrating the pattern, which shows XRP rising to significant resistance levels in the hours leading up to the U.S. market's opening, followed by a steep drop as trading starts. He identified nine instances of this occurring since February, alleging that the trend has continued into March. Furthermore, Arthur termed this phenomenon a “new Jane Street playbook,” referencing the renowned quantitative trading firm known for its market strategies.

🚨 XRP IS BEING SYSTEMATICALLY MANIPULATED RIGHT NOW
Pumps straight to key resistance → US market opens → dumps 📉
Happens over and over.
Is this the “NEW Jane Street playbook”?
XRP down 44% from highs despite MASSIVE @Ripple news, ETF exposure, acquisitions, licenses…… pic.twitter.com/z6gqJwh6Eq
— Arthur (@XrpArthur) March 13, 2026

Arthur argues that the frequency of these price movements, coupled with the significant volume of leveraged long positions during each event, makes mere coincidence an unlikely scenario. He points out that despite Ripple's recent billion-dollar acquisitions and an influx of ETF investments, XRP remains nearly 40% lower than its recent highs. Each time the price attempts to break higher, it seems to be thwarted by sellers, which Arthur connects to his broader concerns over market manipulation.

XRP Trading Chart
XRPUSD trading at $1.41 on the 24-hour chart: TradingView

Community Responses to Manipulation Claims

Not all voices in the XRP community agree with Arthur’s assessment. Trader Robert W countered the manipulation theory with a different perspective, suggesting that such price movements are common across various assets when U.S. market liquidity increases at the market open.

Com’on Arthur. Not everything is manipulation.
The same pattern appears across multiple assets when US liquidity enters the market.
Looks more like normal liquidity shifts and profit-taking than a secret “Jane Street playbook”.
— Robert W. | XRP Facts & Figures (@RobertXRPFF) March 13, 2026

Robert W argues that profit-taking and liquidity shifts offer a more plausible explanation for the observed price behaviors, rather than a concealed institutional effort to manipulate the market.

Arthur dismissed this notion, citing the exactness of the pattern he observed—nine instances following a definite accumulation period with a significant buildup of long positions. He believes that such consistent occurrences are not mere coincidences and has called upon other notable figures in the XRP space—like Vincent Van Code, Crypto Eri, and others—to examine his chart more closely.

As discussions continued, the conversation expanded beyond price action. Another participant criticized the crypto market more broadly, suggesting it largely operates on speculative behavior.