[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] XRP Ledger's daily payment volume has fallen about 90 percent from an early-month peak. Still, the drop is being interpreted as a normalization after unusually elevated activity cooled.

On Aug. 9 (local time), blockchain media outlet U.Today reported that XRP Ledger payment volume briefly exceeded 600 million XRP on Aug. 7 before falling to a relatively small level by Aug. 9. The size of the drop alone could make it look like network use deteriorated sharply, but the past month's trend is more complicated.

In recent weeks, XRP Ledger has repeatedly surged over a short period and then returned to normal levels. Another spike appeared in August, with payment volume jumping to about 614.9 million XRP. However, these moves did not lead to a sustained increase in payment activity.

The key point is that the 90 percent decline likely reflects a retreat from an abnormal peak rather than the disappearance of underlying demand. To view it as a structural slowdown in network use, XRP Ledger activity would need to remain at low levels for a considerable period. Based on current data, it does not differ much from the existing pattern of occasional large spikes followed by a return to a baseline.

Separately from network metrics, XRP's price trend remains weak. XRP traded at about $1.03 and stayed below key moving averages on the daily chart. Larger moving averages stood at about $1.185 and $1.377, while a short-term resistance zone formed between $1.075 and $1.087. In this setup, selling pressure holds an advantageous position.

Price charts also showed a continued trend of gradually lower highs. XRP recently tried to stabilize in the $1.05 to $1.10 range, but lacked the strength to produce a breakout. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) also remained around 40, confirming weak momentum. Still, it is hard to say the market has entered an excessive selling phase.

As a result, the $1 level is being cited as a key near-term pivot. If XRP holds this level, it could continue moving sideways and try again at the $1.08 to $1.10 range. If $1 breaks, the $0.95 to $0.97 range, presented as the recent low, could come back into view.

In the market, attention is focused less on the sharp drop in payment volume itself than on what kind of decline it is. For now, it is difficult to conclude that the 90 percent fall is a serious warning sign for XRP Ledger itself. Recent data show a pattern in which large transaction surges appear briefly and then disappear, and the latest decline is being interpreted as part of that trend.