
COINSTAGES
2025/09/29 06:06
Supply Shock Theory: Expert Predicts Only 21 Million XRP Will Be Publicly Tradable, Leading to $8,19
A striking prediction from within the XRP community suggests that the digital asset is on the brink of a major supply shock, which could dramatically reduce the token's available supply and send its price soaring to unprecedented levels.
XRP community commentator and game developer Chad Steingraber predicted that the actual amount of XRP available for public trading could soon be as low as 21 million tokens, mirroring the maximum supply of Bitcoin.
📉 The Case for Extreme Scarcity
Steingraber’s theory is based on the premise that the active trading supply, not the total circulating supply, is the true determinant of an asset’s price on exchanges. He argues that massive portions of XRP are already, or are soon to be, locked away, making the readily available float extremely scarce.
The supply crunch is driven by several key factors:
Project Lockups: Two major XRP-based projects alone are set to significantly remove tokens from the open market:
Flare Networks' fXRP: Plans to secure 5 billion XRP by mid-2026.
Axelar's mXRP: Aims to manage $10 billion worth of XRP (approximately 5% of the current circulating supply).
Combined Impact: These initiatives alone could lock up around 8 billion XRP, triggering a major supply shock.
Shrinking Exchange Balances: Exchange holdings are rapidly dwindling. For example, Coinbase's XRP balance has plummeted from about 970 million tokens in June to just 32 million as of September.
Ripple and Institutional Hoarding: Ripple controls 37 billion XRP in escrow, while co-founders and early investors hold billions more. Analysts estimate that retail investors likely control no more than 15% of the total supply, meaning the publicly tradable float is already far smaller than headline figures suggest.
Institutional Demand: Institutional accumulation is accelerating, with firms like Canadian asset manager 3iQ holding 45 million XRP and the Purpose ETF owning 29.6 million XRP. The potential launch of multiple Spot XRP ETFs next month will further intensify this demand.
💰 The $8,190 Price Implication
If Steingraber’s projection that the active trading supply falls to just 21 million XRP proves accurate, the theoretical price increase would be colossal.
Assuming XRP's current market capitalization of approximately $172 billion remains constant despite the supply crunch, the price per XRP would mathematically rise to around $8,190.
The analyst points to the case of the OKX exchange’s OKB token in August, which saw its supply reduced to 21 million tokens to mimic Bitcoin’s scarcity. The price subsequently surged by 357% in just two weeks, illustrating how dramatically a price can respond to engineered scarcity, especially when paired with strong demand.
📌 Conclusion: Scarcity Driving Price
The theory that XRP's effective tradable supply will shrink down to the levels of Bitcoin's total supply is highly speculative. However, the underlying trend of massive tokens being locked up for utility (DeFi projects) or acquired by institutions (ETFs and corporate treasuries) is undeniable. If the freely tradable float continues to shrink rapidly while institutional demand explodes, the resulting supply-demand imbalance could, in theory, lead to the kind of extreme scarcity and corresponding price surge that Steingraber has predicted.
🔐 Disclaimer
This article is a summary of market analysis and commentary, focusing on a highly speculative price prediction. The cryptocurrency market is volatile and high-risk. Price predictions based on theoretical supply metrics are highly hypothetical. Always conduct your own thorough research (DYOR) and consult with a professional financial advisor.

Berserker_09
2025/09/26 08:37
Crypto Market Rocked By $1B In Liquidations As Bitcoin Nears $109k, ETH Falls Below $4K
The crypto market was rocked by almost $1 billion in liquidations in the past 24 hours, sending total market capitalization down 2% to $3.84 trillion as Bitcoin slid close to $109k and Ethereum fell below $4k.
Over 227,000 traders were liquidated during the downturn, according to CoinGlass data, with altcoins Story ( $IP ), Aster ( $ASTER ), and Avalanche ( $AVAX ) leading losers with falls of 24%, 13%, and 8%, respectively.
Market indicators show a downbeat mood, with the crypto average Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropping to 35.2, entering oversold territory, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index plummeted to a ”Fear” reading of 28, down from 44 yesterday.
The Bitcoin price dropped 2% to trade at $109,427 as of 12:51 a.m. EST, while top altcoin Ethereum lost 1% to trade at $3,952.
Only a select few tokens bucked the downtrend, with OKB (OKB), Mantle (MNT), and Kaspa ( $KAS ) leading gainers with increases of 7%, 3%, and 3%, respectively.
Amid the carnage, Fundstrat’s Tom Lee told CNBC in an interview that he still expects Bitcoin and Ethereum to make a ‘monster move’ in the next 3 months.
Bitcoin ( $BTC ) Price Faces Critical Support Test
The BTC price has recently entered a decisive phase as its price retraces toward key support levels.
After reaching highs near $124,000, the asset failed to sustain upward momentum and is now hovering around $109,400.
The daily chart shows a pullback directly to the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level at $109,838, often considered a critical support zone for trend continuation. This level will be closely watched to determine if buyers step back in or if further downside pressure emerges.
Meanwhile, the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently around $114,000, which previously acted as the support level, has become the new resistance and signals short-term bearishness.
Moreover, the 200-day SMA sits lower at $104,000, suggesting that a deeper correction could find more substantial support there.
The RSI has dropped to 38, entering bearish territory, which indicates that momentum is weak and sellers are currently dominating the market in the short term.
If the 0.618 Fibonacci level holds, BTC could stage a rebound toward the $115,000–$118,000 resistance range.
However, failure to maintain this zone may cause the price of BTC to drift toward the 200-day SMA, currently near $104,000.
With BTC already falling below the $110,176 support, I believe that the next support zone is around the $108,531 level.
Ethereum ( $ETH ) Price Seeks Stability After Sharp Correction
The ETH price has been under pressure following its rejection from the $4,800 resistance zone, with the price now trading near $3,950.
This marks a notable retracement that has pulled the Ethereum price below its 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently at $4,401, which has flipped from support to resistance.
However, the price of ETH remains well above the 200-day SMA at $2,930, maintaining a broader bullish structure despite recent weakness.
ETH is currently hovering around the 0.382 level at $3,826, with additional support at $3,522 (0.5) and $3,218 (0.618).
Holding above these levels is crucial to prevent a deeper correction. The RSI sits at 34, nearing oversold conditions, which suggests that downside momentum may be slowing and a relief bounce could be on the horizon.
If ETH can stabilize around current levels and reclaim the $4,200 zone, a renewed push toward the $4,800 resistance would be possible.
On the other hand, a failure to defend $3,800 could send the token toward $3,500 or even $3,200, aligning with deeper Fibonacci support.