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Blockchain behemoth Ripple has unlocked three batches of XRP just now, triggering a heated discussion within the crypto community.
One billion XRP were released two days later than usual and after locking hundreds of millions of XRP in escrow.
Alex DovbnyaOne billion XRP leaves Ripple escrow
Whale Alert, which monitors large cryptocurrency movements and reports them through its website and the X handle, has spotted three hefty crypto transactions, each carrying hundreds of millions of XRP. Whale Alert published these X posts one after another.
According to them, Ripple released 500,000,000 XRP from escrow, an astonishing $1,020,192,378 worth of crypto. This followed two transfers, also made from escrow by an anonymous wallet, of 200,000,000 XRP. At the time of the executed transactions, those XRP chunks were worth $407,926,449 and $612,401,797.
Data provided by the XRP-focused Bithomp explorer shows that both transfers were initiated by Ripple too.
Ripple adjusts XPR release schedule
The San Francisco-based crypto giant has been running this long-standing XRP release program since 2017, when it started letting out one billion coins on the first day of each month to support XRP liquidity on crypto exchanges. Traditionally, after each release, roughly two-thirds of the released coins go back to escrow. First it was 700-800 million coins. In recent years, Ripple has been locking back 700 million XRP monthly.
This time, in April 2025, the release took place on April 3 instead of April 1, but on April 2, the company locked 700 million coins before the traditional release. Last month, however, Ripple also unlocked one billion XRP on March 3. And they also locked 700 million XRP in escrow two days before that, as if Ripple has made changes to its own monthly XRP release strategy.
Yuri MolchanCommunity stunned by massive XRP unlock
XRP community seems rather surprised by such a turn of events as a massive XRP release by Ripple. Under the latest of the three X posts published by Whale Alert, many have expressed their amazement with comments, like “What is going on here folks?” and “What is happening here people?”
One X user poured cold water on their emotions by saying: “It happens every single month lol they will lock 90% of it back into escrow...are all of you brand new here or what?”
Vladislav Sopov
Dan Burgin