Karachi, February 24, 2026, 02:36 (PKT) — Regular session
XRP slipped Tuesday, losing 2.3% to $1.35 as traders reacted to U.S. tariff uncertainty rattling risk assets. The No. 4 digital coin by market value bounced between $1.35 and $1.42 in the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap, while trading volume soared 164% to roughly $3.5 billion. Bitcoin dropped 4.4%. Ether shed 4.1%.
Stocks slipped worldwide after U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly rolled out a 15% tariff on all imports, moving fast after the Supreme Court tossed out his earlier emergency duties. This time, the administration is leaning on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—a rarely tapped tool that enables temporary tariffs for a maximum of 150 days. “It’s a reminder that uncertainty remains high,” said Nationwide’s chief market strategist Mark Hackett. Reuters
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde cautioned that investors and companies want “the rules of the road before you get in the car,” pointing out that escalating trade disputes risk putting investment on ice. Gregory Daco, EY-Parthenon’s chief economist, described the pace of change as making it “impossible to plan” for much of the business world. Reuters
Cryptos have acted like high-beta risk assets lately, moving in step with equities and rates, not behaving as a safe haven. XRP—Ripple’s payments-linked token—fell alongside bitcoin, with traders slashing positions.
XRP holders are keeping an eye on Washington. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, speaking to Fox Business, put the odds at 80% that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act passes Congress by the end of April, calling attention to a Washington “logjam” that he says is finally easing up, according to Investing.com. Investing.com Canada
Tariffs could end up calling the shots. Bank of England’s Alan Taylor remarked that hefty U.S. import tariffs seem “here to stay”—and warned the repercussions might drag on for “many years.” Reuters
XRP faces a tricky setup here. If macro turbulence flares up again, or if there’s fresh legal drama on tariffs, traders typically dump the smaller coins and run for cash. Crypto does snap back sharply from time to time—but it rarely does so unless the bigger macro picture settles down first.
Even so, certain investors are watching for any evidence that institutional infrastructure keeps growing around XRP. Exchange-traded products have provided another channel for capital, particularly as spot markets get volatile.
Watch for two key dates. U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to stop collecting tariffs tied to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, at 12:01 a.m. EST Tuesday, and will shut off the relevant tariff codes. Over in ETFs, Grayscale notes its Grayscale XRP Trust ETF (GXRP), trading on NYSE Arca, wraps up its 0% fee waiver on Feb. 24; after that, investors get a 0.35% fee.
