TL;DR
- Ripple released 1 billion XRP on September 1 through its regular monthly escrow schedule.
- The unlock does not mean the entire amount will enter the market, as Ripple has historically returned unused XRP to escrow.
- XRP trades near $1.36 after falling about 8.20% in a week, while recent ETF activity could provide another source of demand.
Ripple unlocked 1 billion XRP on September 1 as part of its established monthly escrow schedule, putting renewed attention on the token’s supply dynamics. The release comes as XRP trades near $1.36, after retreating from a level close to $1.70 in August.
The headline figure may look substantial, but an escrow release does not mean Ripple is selling 1 billion XRP on the open market. The company’s escrow structure was designed to make token distribution more predictable, while unused XRP can be returned to escrow instead of immediately entering circulation.
🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 500,000,000 $XRP (689,590,640 USD) unlocked at #Ripplehttps://t.co/qomFopjjjX
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) September 1, 2026
Ripple Unlocked 1 Billion XRP Through Scheduled Escrow Releases
The September release occurred through three transactions involving 500 million, 400 million and 100 million XRP. The transactions follow the mechanism Ripple established after placing 55 billion XRP into escrow in 2017, creating a predetermined framework for monthly releases.
Under that system, up to 1 billion XRP becomes available each month. Ripple can use released tokens for institutional sales, liquidity and other operational purposes, while unused amounts can be locked again. This mechanism has historically resulted in a significant portion of released XRP returning to escrow.
That distinction matters because the effective increase in market supply can be considerably smaller than the headline figure. Roughly 31.28 billion XRP remains locked in Ripple-controlled on-ledger escrow following the latest release, leaving a substantial portion of XRP’s fixed 100 billion maximum supply outside active circulation.
XRP Faces Selling Pressure As Demand Remains In Focus
XRP is currently trading around $1.36, down roughly 8.20% over the past week after approaching $1.70 in August. Despite that pullback, the token remains up about 30.8% over the past 30 days and 14.5% over the last 90 days, according to the supplied market data.
Derivatives activity also shows that volatility remains elevated. More than $3.32 million in XRP positions were liquidated over the previous 24 hours, with approximately $2.13 million coming from long positions and $1.19 million from shorts.
The supply picture also includes potential demand from investment products. Recent market data showed continued interest in U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded products, including Bitwise’s XRP ETF, which surpassed $500 million in assets after launching earlier this year.
