Ripple just unlocked 500 million XRP

Ripple has just initiated its latest round of token unlocks from escrow, where the company is scheduled to release 1 billion tokens in April.

As of April 1, the blockchain firm’s distribution strategy recorded the release of the first 500 million XRP, which has already been executed, according to on-chain data retrieved by Finbold from XRPScan.

XRP escrow transactions. Source: XRPScan

The month’s first tranche of XRP was moved from an escrow wallet to a Ripple-controlled wallet in a transaction executed at 00:00 UTC. The wallet in question has already scheduled 11 future escrow releases.

Ripple’s escrow system was established to manage the controlled release of its XRP holdings. At the time, Ripple locked 55 billion XRP into escrow, with 1 billion XRP scheduled to be released monthly. 

These releases typically occur in phases throughout the month. After each unlock, Ripple often reallocates a portion of the XRP for operational purposes, such as supporting ecosystem development, partnerships, or market liquidity, while returning the remainder to escrow for future releases.

For instance, on February 1, 2025, another 1 billion XRP unlock occurred from the Ripple (26) and Ripple (27) wallets. Of this amount, 400 million XRP and 100 million XRP were released from Ripple (26), while 500 million XRP came from Ripple (27). This release was valued at approximately $3.10 billion.

On March 3, 2025, Ripple executed another 1 billion XRP unlock in three transactions. 

The remaining 500 million XRP from this month’s 1 billion unlock is expected to be released in the coming days or weeks, following Ripple’s typical phased approach.

XRP price analysis 

Regarding XRP price movement, the unlocks can potentially introduce volatility for the token. 

However, at the moment, XRP does not seem to be significantly affected by the releases, as its price is moving in line with the broader cryptocurrency market. As of press time, XRP was trading at $2.16, gaining over 5% in the past 24 hours.

Nevertheless the token remains 11% down on the weekly timeframe.

XRP seven-day price chart. Source: Finbold

Despite the short-term positive momentum, XRP is showing signs of weakness, as its current price sits below the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of $2.38. The long-term trend remains positive, with the 200-day SMA at $1.76.

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