The price of XRP is $1.05. Flat-ish a day. Down about 8% over the week. Still holding on to $1 (Live XRP price on CoinGecko).
But price isn’t the most interesting thing happening for XRP right now. The most interesting thing is the combat. Ripple’s CEO has publicly blamed one of Bitcoin’s biggest names for hurting the entire cryptocurrency market. And honestly? He has a point.
Let me break it down.
Feud: Garlinghouse vs. Saylor
Brad Garlinghouse runs Ripple, the company behind XRP. This week he took the record and pointed his finger directly at Michael Saylor’s strategy.
His argument: The strategy’s preferred equity financing model, the financial machine that Saylor built to buy Bitcoin, is “financial engineering” that distracts the market and ultimately hurts cryptocurrencies. His evidence? STRC, a strategic security, fell to a record low. As we’ve covered, Strategy’s stock has now fallen below its Bitcoin value. The machine is flying.
Now, consider the obvious: Garlinghouse runs a Bitcoin competitor. He has a reason to take shots. But that doesn’t mean he’s wrong. The strategy’s funding model is under real pressure, its premiums have flipped, and the broader market has engaged in a “buy Bitcoin with leverage” narrative that is now beginning to unravel. So this is a blow to self-interest that also happens on the ground.
Why is this important for XRP?
Here is the connection. Garlinghouse draws a line between two philosophies. On the one hand, Saylor’s approach to leverage and financial engineering. Ripple, on the other hand, promotes XRP as a physical instrument, real-world payments, institutional bars, and regulated products. The implication: XRP is the adult in the room.
Whether you buy it or not, it’s a deliberate positioning move at a time when the leverage model is clearly struggling. Ripple wants XRP to be seen as fodder for the strategy scene. The timing, with Strategy stock falling below the price of Bitcoin, is no coincidence.
Meanwhile, the law of clarity is stuck on one clause
XRP’s biggest catalyst, the CLARITY Act, is still down, and now we know exactly where it is. The sticking point is Section 604.
This ruling would stipulate that non-custodial blockchain developers are not transmitters of funds. It sounds technical, but it’s fighting. Nearly 100 Catholic bishops and anti-human trafficking groups say Section 604 creates loopholes that traffickers and criminals can exploit. Cryptocurrency advocates counter that it protects software developers from being regulated like banks. Either way, the bill remains stuck behind that argument, with a hearing on July 17 serving as the next checkpoint.
So the XRP catalyst is not just mysteriously “delayed.” It has been pinned down on one specific and disputed section. This is worth knowing.
Price reality
Go back to the chart, because it’s tense. XRP at $1.05 is a nickel above $1.00, which is the floor at which this entire correction has been defended. It is the weakest major currency this week. Sellers continue to break support. Every bounce fails.
But it’s a fact that doesn’t get enough attention: XRP exchange balances fell to their lowest levels in 2021, with more than 570 million tokens moving into long-term wallets this year. Translation: XRP holders withdraw XRP from exchanges and sit on it, not selling it. This is accumulation, quietly, at an ugly price.
Levels
Down: $1.00 is the line. Below it is $0.95, then $0.90.
Up: Recovers $1.12, then $1.20 to signal that the downtrend has broken.
Bottom line
The $1.05 coin The law of clarity remains stuck in Section 604 until at least July 17. In the near term, the price is weak and cannot be improved.
But underneath: exchange balances at 2021 lows, coin holders accumulating, ETF inflows continuing, and Ripple positioning XRP as the underlying asset while the leverage model fluctuates. Watch $1.00 Above Everything. Hold it and XRP will survive this. Lose it and you’ll unlock the next leg. This is where things stand, and it comes down to nickel.
Instructions
What is the price of XRP today?
XRP is trading at $1.05 on June 28, 2026, roughly flat during the day but down nearly 8% over the week, and is the weakest major coin, clinging to the critical $1.00 level.
What did Ripple CEO say about Saylor?
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse described Strategy’s preferred equity funding model as “financial engineering” that distracts the market and hurts cryptocurrencies, pointing to the STRC’s drop to a record low as evidence. He runs the company behind XRP, a competitor to Bitcoin.
What is Section 604 of the Clarity Act?
Section 604 states that non-custodial blockchain developers are not transmitters of funds. Anti-human trafficking groups say it creates loopholes that criminals can exploit, while cryptocurrency advocates say it protects developers from bank-like regulation. The dispute stalled the bill.
Will the price of XRP fall below $1?
It’s a real risk. At $1.05, XRP is a nickel starting at $1.00, the floor pushed by all the corrections. Sellers continue to break support. However, exchange balances at 2021 lows show holders are accumulating, not selling.
What are the key XRP levels to watch?
Down: $1.00 is critical, then $0.95 and $0.90. Up: XRP needs to reclaim $1.12, then $1.20 to signal a downtrend break.
