Arkham Debunks Viral Claim BlackRock Bought $1.85B in XRP

Rumors that BlackRock had snapped up more than $1 billion worth of XRP set off a flurry of activity on social media this week — but the story didn’t hold up to scrutiny. What happened Screenshots circulating on X, amplified by high-profile crypto influencers including The Crypto Bull, claimed that BlackRock had added about $1.85 billion in XRP to its crypto holdings. Given BlackRock’s scale, the alleged purchase was treated by some as a major sign of institutional adoption and sent waves of speculation through the market. What the data shows Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence reviewed on‑chain and portfolio data and found the screenshots were false. Arkham’s data indicates BlackRock holds just 5.267 XRP, worth roughly $10.32 — not the hundreds of millions shown in the doctored images. Investigators also found the original screenshots had been edited to display a balance of 911.76 million XRP. BlackRock’s real crypto exposure appears concentrated in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Arkham estimates the asset manager’s total crypto portfolio at about $82.1 billion, including: - 784,424 BTC (~$71.31 billion) - 3.494 million ETH (~$10.8 billion) - small amounts of other assets Market reaction and wider context The fake screenshots prompted a mix of excitement and skepticism. Some traders wondered why XRP’s price didn’t rally if such a massive purchase had occurred; others immediately questioned the claims. This episode is one of several recent misinformation events in crypto — earlier this month there were unverified rumors of a Ripple–Amazon partnership, and sensational price targets for XRP (some as high as $50,000) have only added to unrealistic expectations. Takeaway The incident underscores how quickly unverified claims can spread in crypto, particularly when shared by influencers with large followings. For investors, the lesson is straightforward: verify sources, cross‑check on‑chain data where possible, and avoid trading on sensational, unproven reports. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news