Ripple has notably paused its long-standing monthly XRP escrow release schedule.
This marks the first instance since the program’s inception in January 2018 where the company has not unlocked any XRP from its escrowed holdings within a scheduled month.
The escrow system, containing initially 55 billion XRP and designed for controlled monthly releases followed by unused portions being relocked, has been instrumental in managing the supply and fostering price stability by preventing large, unexpected influxes of tokens onto the market. XRP held within escrow is locked and inaccessible for trading.
Approximately 90 billion XRP has been released from escrow to date under this managed schedule. As of now, Ripple’s escrow reserves hold 36.6 billion XRP. The last recorded action on the escrow occurred in the prior month when 700 million XRP was released and subsequently returned to the escrow holdings.
While this pause in the release pattern represents a significant deviation, it remains unclear whether this signals a permanent shift in Ripple’s XRP supply management strategy. The move has nonetheless raised questions within the cryptocurrency community regarding Ripple’s future plans for its substantial XRP holdings.