In a massive show of corporate financial muscle, Ripple has just announced a $750 million share buyback program, catapulting the blockchain payments company to a staggering $50 billion valuation. As someone who has covered the crypto trenches for the past decade, I can tell you that a $50 billion price tag in the current macroeconomic climate is nothing short of a massive flex.
But for the XRP army, the champagne remains on ice.
While Ripple’s corporate equity is soaring, the native token of the XRP Ledger is singing a very different tune. As of March 12, 2026, XRP price is trading hands at $1.38—a painful 61% haircut from its cycle peak of $3.66 in July 2025.
Let’s break down exactly what this buyback means, why there’s a glaring disconnect between Ripple the company and XRP the token, and what the charts are telling us next.
Table of Contents
The Buyback: A $50 Billion Power Play
According to reports circulating this week, Ripple is repurchasing $750 million in shares from early investors and employees. This tender offer essentially provides liquidity to those who have backed or worked for the company through its grueling multi-year legal battles and market cycles.
From a traditional finance perspective, a buyback of this magnitude signals immense confidence. It tells the market that:
- Ripple has deep, highly liquid cash reserves.
- It has strong, sustainable revenue streams (likely driven by its enterprise payment solutions).
- Leadership believes its own stock is a prime investment right now.
Hitting a $50 billion valuation firmly cements Ripple as one of the most valuable private fintech companies in the world today.
The Disconnect: Corporate Triumphs vs. Token Holder Tears
Here is the uncomfortable truth that veteran traders know well: Ripple’s corporate success does not automatically translate to XRP price appreciation.
Right now, the on-chain data paints a sobering picture. Recent market intelligence reveals that roughly 60% of XRP’s total circulating supply is currently held at a loss. That means more than half of all XRP holders are underwater. To put that in perspective, the percentage of supply in loss is currently higher than it was during the COVID-19 crash of March 2020, China’s crypto ban in 2021, and even the FTX collapse in late 2022.
Why the heavy bags? Despite Ripple securing multiple institutional partnerships this year, the broader crypto market took a severe beating in February 2026. Bitcoin temporarily dipped back to test the $70k range, dragging altcoins down with it. XRP has absorbed several major partnership announcements recently without a meaningful upside breakout. It’s an asset weighed down by massive overhead supply from buyers who got trapped near the top in 2024 and 2025, waiting for a catalyst to break them even.
XRP Technical Outlook: The Line in the Sand
So, where do we go from here? Looking at the real-time data, XRP/USDT is currently compressed in a very tight, stubborn range.
- Immediate Resistance: The $1.43–$1.44 zone is acting as a brick wall. We saw a brief volume spike attempt to breach this earlier in the week, but sellers quickly capped the advance and drove the token back down.
- Crucial Support: The short-term floor sits at $1.34. If XRP loses this level, the trapdoor opens toward the $1.30–$1.32 range.
- The Macro Trendline: Despite the recent bleeding, XRP is still holding above a decade-long ascending trendline dating back to 2015. As long as the price stays above $1.10, the long-term bullish market structure that started in 2020 remains completely intact.
The Bottom Line
Ripple’s $750 million buyback is a phenomenal corporate milestone that highlights the firm’s resilience, profitability, and bullish outlook on its own future. However, retail investors need to separate Ripple’s equity valuation from XRP’s spot price. While the company is thriving at $50 billion, XRP is in a tight technical compression phase, burdened by a high percentage of underwater holders.
Patience is the name of the game here. Keep a close eye on that $1.44 resistance—if the bulls can break and close above it with conviction and high volume, the narrative could shift very quickly.
Disclaimer: This post is a compilation of publicly available information. MEXC does not verify or guarantee the accuracy of third-party content. Readers should conduct their own research before making any investment or participation decisions.