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The phenomenal rise of Hyperliquid's HYPE token has become the most eye-catching event of May, completely rewriting the rules of the game in the 2026 crypto market. Its rapid rally to an all-time high near $62.50 forced retail investors to look nervously at their portfolios.
While one token is setting records, holders of other altcoins are involuntarily asking themselves whether their asset can repeat this insane price success in the current market environment. This question has also become urgent for the long-suffering XRP community, which has long needed to compare expectations with reality.
Why XRP can't math its way to a HYPE-style pump
While HYPE is soaring on a deflationary model in which Hyperliquid directs 97% of its revenue, XRP's daily chart shows a prolonged calm. The coin's price is stuck near $1.3518, trapped below the heavy 50-, 100- and 200-day EMA lines, which are acting as hard resistance according to TradingView.
If XRP retail investors are counting on a parabolic rise in Hyperliquid style, they will have to face the hard facts of tokenomics. HYPE is rising on scarcity and constant buybacks. XRP, meanwhile, has a giant multibillion-token supply, and to move XRP into a similar parabolic trajectory, billions of dollars would need to flow into it - money that simply is not in the market right now.
In addition, large capital is accumulating XRP in a completely different way - methodically and without speculative mania. This week, net inflows into spot XRP ETFs totaled a moderate $12.57 million, lifting total assets under management to $1.15 billion.
Hyperliquid, meanwhile, accumulated $63.96 million in the first eight days of spot ETF trading in the U.S., clearly taking part of the flows not only from altcoin investment products such as XRP ETFs, but also from Bitcoin, according to SoSoValue.
How the Senate's Clarity Act reshapes XRP's long game
The only real driver for XRP right now is legal, not hype-based. The Senate Banking Committee advanced the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, and its possible adoption in June could create a long-term foundation for institutional billions.
However, this is unlikely to trigger a speculative pump as well.
While retail participants are catching FOMO around Hyperliquid, XRP holders appear to have to accept a scenario of progressive organic growth. Yes, coin reserves on exchanges are drying up, with XRP reserves on Binance falling to 2.74 billion.
But even with a positive outcome in the Senate, the market's real target looks like a return to $2.00-$2.80 within the year. If the current $1.35 support is broken downward, the coin risks falling to $1.
Dan Burgin
