Even though price action is still under pressure, XRP is starting early 2026 with a discernible shift on the fundamentals side. The most significant change is a dramatic increase in on-ledger activity, with payment volume rising by about 140% in a brief amount of time. Such a move is typically not the result of speculative noise but rather a genuine rise in network usage.

Fundamental metric rise

XRP Ledger's payment volume has exceeded recent averages, momentarily surpassing the 1-billion-unit mark. A similar upward trend was seen in the quantity of payments made between accounts at the same time. The combination is important. A few large transfers can distort volume in the absence of transaction growth, but an increase in the number of payments indicates wider network participation.

From a structural standpoint, this is taking place as the price of XRP continues to stabilize around long-term support levels. XRP is still below important moving averages on the chart and is part of a larger decline. By itself, that is not bullish. It does, however, cause the price and fundamentals to diverge. In the past, especially during accumulation phases, consistent growth in ledger activity has tended to lead rather than follow the price.

A long way to go

Additionally, the recent spike fits the normal transition from the end of the year to the beginning of the year. There is less liquidity, uneven volatility and rapid flow changes. These metrics should be handled as such because they are extremely time-sensitive. At the time of the observation, a 140% increase in volume is noteworthy, but it does not ensure persistence.

If demand is not steady, XRP metrics have a tendency to cool off rapidly. However, the overall view is positive. The usage of XRP has not collapsed despite the downward trend. Rather, as the price moves sideways to downward, activity is growing. Typically, that indicates positioning rather than desertion.

It implies that larger players might be moving value and rebalancing exposure by using lower prices rather than chasing the market higher. The important lesson for investors is not that XRP will blow up tomorrow.

It is that the network is working harder than the price would indicate. The likelihood of a recovery phase developing later would be greatly increased if payment volume and transaction count continued to be high into the first quarter of 2026.