XRP tops bitcoin, ether volumes on major South Korean exchanges

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email XRP tops bitcoin, ether volumes on major South Korean exchanges XRP/KRW was the most traded pair on Upbit and second on Bithumb, a familiar Korean market signal that has often preceded sharper moves in the token. By Shaurya Malwa May 13, 2026, 6:30 a.m. 2 min read Make preferred on What to know : XRP has surged to the top of South Korean crypto trading, leading volumes on Upbit and ranking near the top on Bithumb, even ahead of bitcoin and ether in key pairs. Despite the volume spike, XRP’s price has moved only modestly, trading around $1.44 to $1.45 and repeatedly failing to break through the $1.49 to $1.50 resistance zone since February. The concentration of Korean trading in XRP, against a backdrop of a volatile local stock market and cooling risk appetite, suggests investors are targeting a familiar high-beta crypto asset rather than broadly chasing risk. XRP is back at the top of South Korean trading screens. The token’s won pair was the most traded market on Upbit over the past 24 hours, with about $110.9 million in volume, ahead of bitcoin’s $88.6 million and ether’s $67 million, CoinGecko data shows. On Bithumb, XRP/KRW recorded about $41 million in volume, ranking second behind USDT/KRW and above both BTC/KRW and ETH/KRW. That matters because Korea has long been one of XRP’s most active speculative markets. Bitcoin and ether usually dominate global exchange activity, but Korean traders have repeatedly pushed XRP into the top volume slot during periods of heightened interest, often before volatility expands. Price-action has been muted, however. XRP traded near $1.44 to $1.45 across the two exchanges, up roughly 3% on the week. That beats bitcoin over the same period, but trails stronger gains in BNB and Solana’s SOL, both of which have risen around 8%. The setup is less about a finished breakout and more about pressure building under a level the market has not been able to clear. Data from CoinDesk analytics shows XRP is still battling the $1.49 to $1.50 zone, an area that has repeatedly rejected upside attempts since February. The token has continued to compress below that resistance while holding higher lows above the broader $1.40 support floor. That kind of structure tends to matter when volume starts rotating in. Repeated tests can weaken resistance, and liquidity above current levels appears relatively thin. If sellers are absorbed near $1.50, a sustained move through that level could accelerate faster than the recent price action suggests. Korean activity also stands out against a choppier local macro backdrop. South Korea’s Kospi fell sharply Tuesday after comments from a presidential policy aide raised questions over how the government could return part of the country’s AI-driven corporate gains to citizens through tax revenue. The index remains one of the world’s strongest markets this year, powered by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, but the pullback showed how sensitive local risk appetite has become after a steep rally. That makes the XRP flow more notable. Traders are not simply buying everything tied to Korean risk appetite. They are concentrating activity in one of the market’s most familiar high-beta crypto names. High volume does not guarantee upside, however. It can also mark aggressive selling or late positioning near resistance. But when XRP starts leading Korean exchange volumes while price compresses below a long-tested ceiling, the market usually pays attention. 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