Ripple’s Unscheduled $3.2 Billion XRP Unlock Shocks Community, What’s Going On?

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The XRP community was caught off guard on over the weekend after blockchain tracking services recorded a sudden and massive release of XRP from Ripple’s escrow wallets. Within minutes, three separate transfers totaling 1 billion tokens occurred, with the most notable single transfer moving 500 million tokens, worth about $1.64 billion, to an unknown wallet. 

Two other transfers from Ripple added another 500 million tokens, valued at roughly $1.64 billion combined. The total value of these movements came to about $3.28 billion, and the fact that they happened outside the usual schedule left many wondering what was going on.

Ripple’s Unscheduled $3.28 Billion XRP Release Shocks Community

The news quickly spread when Xaif (@Xaif_Crypto on X), a well-known voice in the community, posted details of the transactions. His update highlighted how unusual it was for Ripple to unlock this much XRP just days after its normal monthly release date. Typically, the company unlocks 1 billion tokens at the start of each month in a predictable process. But this time, the release happened in a way that stirred uncertainty among investors.

The unexpected August unlock came only a week after Ripple locked 700 billion tokens on August 2 and made no further moves. This made the sudden August 9 activity even more surprising. The 1 billion XRP release matched Ripple’s usual monthly total, but its timing and the involvement of an unknown wallet set it apart from the company’s standard operations.

In May 2025, a similar disruption occurred when Ripple locked 700 million XRP while the monthly unlock had not yet happened. That event, much like the latest one, is fueling debates about the company’s transparency. Earlier in 2024, the company’s escrow system also experienced irregularities. In those cases, the monthly unlocks were smaller than expected, and Ripple later “made up” the missing tokens in the same month. However, the current anomaly doesn’t seem linked to a system error.

Ripple’s Escrow Move And Its Effect On The XRP Market

Ripple’s escrow system, introduced in 2017, was designed to manage market supply in a controlled manner and avoid market flooding. These releases are generally predictable, and the XRP community has grown accustomed to tracking them at the start of each month. The August unlock, however, broke the pattern.

Despite the sudden release, XRP’s price is up over 16% compared to last week, suggesting that market sentiment remains strong for now. However, large and unscheduled token movements can quickly shift market dynamics, especially when billions of dollars are involved. 

As of now, Ripple still holds around 35.6 billion XRP in escrow. These tokens remain subject to the same monthly release rules, but recent irregularities have shown that not all unlocks will follow the expected schedule. Whether the community remembers this event as a minor deviation or the start of a new pattern in Ripple’s escrow management will depend on what happens in the months ahead.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView.com

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