XRP Approaches $1.50 as Senate Committee Advances CLARITY Act and Whales Accumulate

XRP climbed to an intraday peak near $1.55 late Thursday and held near $1.47 early Friday, as a broader crypto rally gained traction after a key U.S. Senate committee vote on market-structure legislation. The Senate Banking Committee advanced the bipartisan Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (the "CLARITY Act") by a 15–9 vote, a move traders read as a fresh step toward clearer federal oversight of digital assets. The bill now heads to a procedural merger with a similar measure in the Senate Agriculture Committee, extending the legislative track toward a full Senate vote. Committee Chairman Tim Scott secured passage after a last-minute shift to accept amendments previously rejected, drawing support from two Democratic senators following hours of partisan debate. Lawmakers and industry participants said several issues remain unresolved, including law-enforcement access provisions and ethics safeguards. Even so, markets treated the vote as the strongest bipartisan signal on crypto market structure in months, easing near-term regulatory uncertainty. Altcoins broadly advanced, with Hyperliquid, Flare, and XDC Network among the strongest performers in the top 100 by market capitalization. Bitcoin also moved back above $80,000, setting intraday highs as major altcoins defended key technical levels. For XRP, the push back toward $1.50 has been difficult in recent weeks, and the latest spike was amplified by retail enthusiasm among the "XRP Army", which views the regulatory momentum as a potential tailwind for Ripple's ecosystem. On-chain data also points to renewed whale accumulation. Large-wallet holdings and long-term holder concentration have increased, with this cohort now controlling a combined 45.83 billion XRP tokens, the highest level since May 2018. Market participants argue a more defined market-structure framework could reduce compliance friction and support adoption of Ripple's payments offerings, potentially translating into stronger demand for XRP. Risks remain: the bill must still navigate negotiations and possible amendments that could delay passage or dilute near-term benefits. XRP is up about 5% over the past week, but remains down roughly 20% year to date and trades about 61% below its all-time high.