Open Interest (OI) refers to the total number of outstanding derivative contracts not settled for an asset. An increase in OI and a price increase typically indicate that new money is coming into the market. On the other hand, if the price rises but OI falls, the rally might be driven by short covering rather than new buying, potentially signaling a weaker trend.
Source: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2024/10/01/open-interest-in-xrp-zooms-to-1b-as-ripple-tests-rlusd-stablecoin/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines