XRP price breaks above $1.40 on volume surge as Bitcoin reclaims $80,000

XRP price climbed from $1.3840 to $1.4065 in early Asia trading on May 4 on a sharp pickup in volume, breaking through resistance at $1.40 alongside Bitcoin’s return above $80,000.

Summary

• Volume expanded into the $1.40 breakout on May 4, confirming real positioning rather than a low-liquidity push.
• The $1.45 level is the critical structural barrier: 36.8 billion XRP, or 60% of supply, sits at a $1.44 average cost basis per Glassnode.
• Standard Chartered projects $4 to $8 billion in additional XRP ETF inflows if the CLARITY Act clears the Senate Banking Committee before May 21.

XRP price broke above $1.40 for the first time in several days on May 4, alongside Bitcoin’s move above $80,000. As crypto.news reported, Standard Chartered analyst Geoffrey Kendrick projected that Senate Banking Committee advancement of the CLARITY Act could unlock $4 to $8 billion in additional XRP ETF inflows, placing the week-of-May-11 markup as the primary event that could break the $1.45 supply wall.

The $1.45 level has rejected XRP four times in 2026, including a brief $1.50 excursion on April 17 after Rakuten integrated XRP payments for 44 million Japanese users.

Glassnode data confirms roughly 36.8 billion XRP, approximately 60% of total circulating supply, is held at an average cost basis of $1.44, creating a mechanical ceiling at every approach. Traders are now watching whether XRP can hold $1.40 as support and clear $1.41 to $1.42, with a failure back below $1.40 signalling a reversed breakout.

As crypto.news documented, Standard Chartered cut its 2026 XRP target from $8 to $2.80 in February on macro headwinds, making the CLARITY Act catalyst the primary variable for any re-rating this year. As crypto.news tracked, XRP spot ETFs posted $81.63 million in April inflows across a 20-day streak that broke on April 30, before the broader market recovery on May 4 brought renewed buying interest.