[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] XRP fell about 12.2 percent within hours after fallout from the failure to pass the U.S. Senate's Clarity bill.

On Sept. 16 local time, the blockchain outlet U.Today reported that the U.S. Senate failed to secure the 60 votes needed in a cloture vote to move the bill to the next step. The result was 49 to 50.

The vote was taken as negative news across the crypto industry. XRP slid from about $1.45 to around $1.27, then rebounded slightly to about $1.29. Trading volume also jumped during the decline, which was interpreted as a drop driven by concentrated selling rather than low-liquidity swings.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse (브래드 갈링하우스) called the result painful but said the crypto industry's development does not hinge on this single bill. Ripple CLO Stuart Alderoty (스튜어트 알데로티) also stressed that the vote does not affect XRP's current legal status in the United States.

Based on price action alone, the market has moved straight into testing technical support levels. The $1.35 area, which supported XRP's sideways movement during September, has already broken. That level also overlaps with a long-term moving average on the daily chart, giving it added significance. The former $1.35 support zone has now turned into the first resistance level to clear on any rebound.

The area drawing the most attention now is $1.25 to $1.29. Several rising moving averages are clustered in that range. Buyers stepped in near the intraday low around $1.27, preventing an immediate slide into the $1.20 range. The first condition for a short-term rebound scenario is therefore defending $1.25. If that level holds, regaining $1.30 could be the first step toward a stabilisation signal.

The next hurdle is the $1.34 to $1.36 range. XRP would need to regain that band to reverse much of the technical damage from the sharp drop. After that, $1.40 and $1.45 were presented as the next target zones.

If the $1.25 support level breaks, downward pressure could intensify. In that case, XRP could fall below key moving averages and be exposed to the $1.20 to $1.22 range, with a path then opening to around $1.15.

After the initial shock, the market is watching whether support holds before attempting a rebound. XRP avoided additional breakdown immediately after the 12.2 percent plunge, but the chart structure has changed significantly. If $1.25 holds, the recovery trend that began in August could be maintained, but buying would need to regain the upper hand only after the token reclaims $1.35.