Morgan Stanley’s XRP Exposure Emerges as Price Struggles Near $1

XRP has shed more than 10% over the past week as its struggle near $1 continues. This downward pressure has pushed the crypto asset’s yearly losses to almost 70%.

Despite the negative sentiment, institutional participation appears to be intact, as several firms continue to use exchange-traded products to gain exposure to XRP.

Institutions Remain Unfazed

Morgan Stanley has disclosed its XRP exposure in the second quarter of 2026. The Wall Street giant holds positions through three XRP-linked exchange-traded funds: Franklin, REX-Osprey, and Bitwise ETF. Its largest position was in the Franklin fund, with 6,715 shares. The filing showed 255 shares of the REX-Osprey ETF and 67 shares of Bitwise’s.

The 13F filing also shows a larger position in Armada Acquisition Corp II, the SPAC partner of Ripple-backed Evernorth Holdings.

Several investment firms have had exposure to the token through exchange-traded products. For example, Wolverine Asset Management held 199,912 shares of the Bitwise XRP ETF. Gallacher Capital Management held 86,744 shares of Canary’s XRP ETF. Main Street Group had 5,261 shares of the same fund.

Meanwhile, Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo held 964 shares of the Franklin XRP ETF. Additionally, National Bank of Canada revealed 3,848 shares of Bitwise’s XRP ETF.

Opportunity Amid Pressure

The picture looks less encouraging when it comes to XRP’s broader market activity. As reported by CryptoPotato, the Taker Buy/Sell Ratio is around 0.86, its lowest level since last May. The ratio has stayed below 1 for most of the recent period, which means that sellers have generally been more aggressive than buyers in the derivatives market.

There have been short-lived moves above 1, but buyers have yet to establish a clear change in momentum. A move back above that level could be a better sign for XRP, especially if it also starts seeing stronger volume and price action.

For now, however, derivatives traders appear to be leaning toward the sell side. Futures open interest also remains elevated and stands at 435.1 million units, above the 403.6 million 30-day average, with a +1.20σ Z-score, meaning “leverage is still stacked.” As such, the token is at risk of a liquidation cascade if it dumps further.

But the current weakness may also create a potential setup for a future recovery. ChartNerd highlighted $1.24 as an important level to reclaim. If the asset fails to do so, the analyst identified the $0.90-$0.70 range as a possible area where accumulation could take place.

ChartNerd also expects a retest of the 3-month 40 EMA to help XRP form a stronger base. Similar setups played out in 2023 and 2024, according to the analyst.

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