XRP flips BNB as open interest builds back toward pre-crash levels

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email XRP flips BNB as open interest builds back toward pre-crash levels The token broke through $1.50 resistance on a 125% volume spike, pushing its market cap to $93.4 billion. Binance futures open interest has climbed 59% since October even as the price remains 58% below its high. By Shaurya Malwa Mar 17, 2026, 6:40 a.m. Make us preferred on Google What to know : XRP has surged 11% over the past week to $1.53, reclaiming the No. 4 spot by market value with a capitalization of about $93.4 billion and breaking through resistance around $1.40. Open interest in XRP futures on Binance has risen 59% since late October to about 353 million XRP even as the token trades 37% below its prior level, signaling traders are adding leverage into the rally rather than unwinding positions. While current open interest remains below the peak seen before last October’s crash, the buildup of leveraged bets as XRP tests the $1.50 to $1.60 range suggests stronger structural support but also growing risk if the breakout fails. XRP just reclaimed a ranking it hasn't held in weeks, and the derivatives market suggests traders are positioning for more. The token surged to $1.53 on Tuesday, up 11% on the week, overtaking BNB to become the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap at $93.4 billion. The move broke through $1.40 resistance, per CoinDesk analytics, with trading volume exploding 125% to $3.22 billion. Coinglass data shows XRP open interest on Binance has climbed to 353.49 million XRP as of March 17, up from 222.79 million on Oct. 24, 2025, when XRP was trading at $2.39. That's a 59% increase in open interest while the price is 37% lower. New leveraged positions are building into the recovery rather than unwinding, which is a fundamentally different setup from the deleveraging that dominated January and February. The Binance OI chart shows the full arc. Open interest peaked above 400 million XRP in September 2025, collapsed during the October crash that took the price from $3.65 to below $2, and spent the next four months slowly rebuilding. The current 353 million is approaching but hasn't yet matched those pre-crash levels, which means the market has room to add leverage before hitting the concentration that preceded the last wipeout. Traders will likely now monitor whether the $1.50-$1.60 zone holds or becomes another failed breakout in a token that has been full of them since October. Open interest building into the move gives it more structural support than previous attempts, but XRP approaching pre-crash leverage levels at 58% below the pre-crash price is a setup that works until it doesn't. Why is XRP up More For You Crypto majors post double-digit weekly gains as bitcoin tests $75,000 ahead of Fed decision By Shaurya Malwa 19 minutes ago Ether jumped 13%, XRP surged 11%, and solana gained 9.7% over seven days as $767 million in ETF inflows and ceasefire speculation fueled the broadest rally since before the war. What to know : Bitcoin’s brief surge above $75,000 appears driven more by derivatives positioning than fresh spot demand, with prices quickly retreating below a key support level around $74,400. Despite bitcoin’s intraday volatility, major cryptocurrencies have logged gains of at least 5 percent over the past week, marking the broadest sustained rally since before the Iran war. Growing spot bitcoin ETF inflows and a tightening performance gap with gold are reviving the “digital gold” narrative just as a closely watched Federal Reserve meeting threatens to set the tone for risk assets through March. Read full story Latest Crypto News Crypto majors post double-digit weekly gains as bitcoin tests $75,000 ahead of Fed decision 19 minutes ago Bitcoin’s derivatives-led rally is already unraveling. Prices are back below $75,000 1 hour ago Bitcoin just surged past $75,000. Derivatives seem to be driving the rally. 4 hours ago AI-linked crypto tokens surge as Nvidia's Jensen Huang touts agentic future 8 hours ago Man accuses wife of using CCTV cameras to steal $172 million bitcoin from his hardware wallet 8 hours ago OpenSea delays highly anticipated token launch, citing challenging crypto market conditions 9 hours ago Top Stories Institutions had ‘diamond hands’ during bitcoin's 50% plunge, Bitwise's Matt Hougan says 15 hours ago Ethereum Foundation’s new mandate sparks debate about its role, priorities 14 hours ago Bitcoin eyes $75,000, nearing 25% bounce from February bottom 16 hours ago Michael Saylor's Strategy made another huge buy of bitcoin, adding $1.57 billion worth last week 18 hours ago Bitmine buys 60,999 ether as Tom Lee touts crypto strength amid Iran war 17 hours ago Crypto trading firm BlockFills files for bankruptcy Mar 16, 2026