XRP price slips after Wednesday pop as traders eye SEC crypto ETF deadline

New York, Feb 26, 2026, 13:21 EST — Regular session

XRP slipped roughly 5% in the last 24 hours, erasing some gains from its midweek rally.
The SEC’s deadline for a proposed T. Rowe Price crypto ETF, which would include XRP among its eligible holdings, is catching traders’ attention.
Bitcoin slipped, with ether dropping too, dialing back risk appetite.

XRP dropped Thursday, with the token under pressure as crypto markets lost steam. Traders looked ahead to a pending U.S. regulatory move that might open the door for an XRP exchange-traded fund.

XRP dropped 5.36% over the past day and was recently changing hands near $1.39, CoinMarketCap data shows.

Why now? The Securities and Exchange Commission faces a Feb. 26 deadline to make a move—either greenlight, reject, or extend its review—on NYSE Arca’s push to list and trade shares of the T. Rowe Price Active Crypto ETF.

The proposal calls for an actively managed exchange-traded product, with the ability to hold as few as five and up to 15 crypto assets. XRP appears on the SEC’s list of eligible assets in its published summary.

The market had a weaker tone. Bitcoin slipped to roughly $66,800, off 2.8% over the past 24 hours. Ether dropped further, changing hands near $1,985—a 3.8% loss, according to CoinGecko data.

XRP caught a solid bid midweek, fueled by a surge in spot buying. Bitrue told CoinDesk retail orders popped 212% from Feb. 23 to 24, with buyers outpacing sellers by more than two-to-one.

Crypto had been riding a “risk-on” wave in the wake of Nvidia’s earnings, as Nexo analyst Iliya Kalchev noted—the chipmaker’s outperformance keeping risk appetite alive throughout the markets. Barron’s

Still, traders warn the setup can unravel fast. Should the SEC delay or shoot down the ETF move, that could knock the entire narrative off balance—and bitcoin’s next leg lower would likely drag smaller coins down as well.

XRP is still moving in step with regulatory news tied to Ripple Labs, following years of legal battles over whether its sales count as securities transactions.

All eyes now shift to the SEC’s move on the NYSE Arca filing for the T. Rowe Price fund, with a Feb. 26 deadline. Traders are betting on whether the regulator’s call sets off a new wave of buying or sparks yet another pullback.

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