BNB gains $6B separation, flipping XRP for third spot in market cap rankings

BNB, Binance’s native token, has flipped XRP, becoming the 3rd largest crypto coin in the world by market cap. The token has amassed over $184 billion, a $6 billion separation from the now fourth-largest cryptocurrency.

BNB has been gaining momentum against XRP in recent months, with the Binance-native token benefiting from increased activity in decentralized exchange operations and broader ecosystem adoption. Its price has surged over 50% on a monthly basis. 

The token reached a new all-time high of  $1,300 on a price 45% surge in 2025, outpacing XRP’s 27% gain. The shift places BNB behind only Bitcoin and Ethereum in terms of total market value among crypto assets.

BNB Chain surpasses Solana and Ethereum.

This performance has been driven by the optimism surrounding BNB Chain. According to TokenTerminal and DeFiLlama, BNB Chain has regained its position as the most-used blockchain by active addresses, surpassing Solana and Ethereum. 

The growth coincides with a massive spike in decentralized trading and lending, particularly on the Aster Protocol, where TVL skyrocketed 570% to $2.34 billion.

Binance’s ongoing attempts to integrate Web3 have also brought users back to the BNB ecosystem. These include its Alpha Points programs, wallet events, and Launchpool campaigns. The recent drop in the network’s gas fee to 0.05 Gwei has made it easier for developers to join and strengthened user retention.

Meanwhile, a deflationary supply model and increasing faith in BNB’s long-term utility have institutional investors continuing to pile it in. Some regional investment funds have also included BNB in their digital asset portfolios. These funds are based in Kazakhstan and Southeast Asia, among other regions.

Meanwhile, the total crypto market cap has now reached $4.23 trillion, with Bitcoin’s dominance at 58.3% and BNB strengthening as a key altcoin leader. The coin is trading at $1,322, up 7% in the last 24 hours. 

To that end, Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, is taking home quite a fortune. According to Forbes, he is now the 21st-richest person on the planet with a net worth of almost $90 billion. 

XRP drops 2% amid whale selling

As the broader crypto market sees small gains, XRP is heading in the opposite direction. This was largely triggered by a Ripple treasury transfer of 200 million XRP, worth approximately $610 million, on October 6. 

#Ripple keeps making BIG moves💥

200,000,000 $XRP ($610M) transferred from @Ripple to unknown wallet 📲 pic.twitter.com/H8rPtwT88l

— XRP Update (@XrpUdate) October 6, 2025

Such movements are often presented as liquidity management, but the market typically interprets them as OTC dump signals, especially with XRP already facing resistance at $3.10. Whale behavior confirmed this view, with over $300M in XRP disposals recorded during the session.

Although there is a short-term weakness, all moving averages remain positive. This shows that XRP is still in an accumulation phase, which means that buyers are still supporting the asset above important levels, especially between $2.94 and $2.99. 

The 20-day EMA has also started to move up, which supports the rising trend. However, the lack of volume at breakout zones shows that traders are hesitant. $2.99 remains the key short-term support, validated by repeated defenses and whale absorption patterns.

A break above $3.05 could trigger a bullish continuation, targeting $3.10, followed by $3.40 and $3.66 if the descending triangle pattern is invalidated. However, failure to hold above $2.94 could lead to further consolidation or downside testing.

Traders are looking out for October 19, which is the SEC ETF deadline, with over 70 crypto ETFs pending, including seven XRP-specific applications. The FOMC meeting is also scheduled for October 29. Markets have priced a 96% chance of a rate cut, potentially injecting liquidity into risk assets like XRP. Meanwhile, the coin is trading at $2.94, a 1.59% decline in the last 24 hours.

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