Ripple XRP Unlock Reaches 1B with Two 500M Releases in July

Ripple’s July XRP escrow unlock took an unexpected turn as the platform released 500 million XRP on July 1 and another 500 million on July 4. Splitting its monthly escrow unlock into two tranches, the firm has finally completed its 1 billion XRP target.

Ripple Unlocks Another 500M XRP in July Escrow Release

In an X post, Whale Alert shared insights on Ripple’s latest unlock of 500 million XRP tokens from its escrow account. Reportedly, Ripple released 500,000,000 tokens, worth $1,118,938,031 from escrow to an unknown wallet.

Notably, this XRP unlock follows the platform’s recent release of 500 million tokens. According to a CoinGape report on July 2, Ripple unlocked 500M XRP tokens in two separate transactions, with 400 million subsequently relocked into escrow.

Now, by unlocking another 500 million tokens, the platform has successfully completed its July escrow unlock. This unexpected split rollout surprised the crypto community, sparking interest and speculation about the platform’s strategy.

Despite this move, the XRP price remains red, facing a 2.78% decline over the past 24 hours. The trading volume has also decreased by a massive 28%, currently at $3.12 billion. However, the token has seen a notable increase of 6% in a month.

Ripple Rethinks XRP Reserve Management

Ripple currently holds approximately 36.4 billion XRP in escrow and around 5 billion XRP in liquid reserves, with its approach seemingly shifting towards strategic allocation rather than regular issuance.

Significantly, the company’s split unlock approach reflects a broader shift in managing XRP reserves. Since March, the firm has moved away from a fixed unlock-and-relock formula, instead adopting a more agile strategy that responds to real-time demand and internal needs. While smart contracts still govern the XRP escrow, Ripple is leveraging them with greater flexibility to adapt to market fluctuations and evolving token utility.

In addition, Ripple’s relocking for July has also sparked speculations. Although the platform initially relocked 400 million XRP tokens, the company has now locked a total of 700 million XRP in escrow for July. This shows a deviation from the platform’s usual pattern of unlocking one billion XRP and relocking unused portions — often totalling 800 million XRP.

This shift away from calendar-tied unlocks signals a more tactical approach, with traders and analysts now needing to adapt to a more flexible release strategy.

Is the US Treasury Eyeing XRP Escrow?

Recently, CoinGape reported the growing rumors surrounding the US Treasury’s potential seizure of XRP escrow for the national reserve. Though attorney Bill Morgan denied these rumors, Alpha Lions Academy founder Edoardo Farina’s latest tweet has further fuelled the speculations.

Notably, Ripple’s recent pursuit of a U.S. national bank charter and application for a Federal Reserve master account through Standard Custody has further contributed to these rumors. This move could enable the firm to custody reserves for its RLUSD stablecoin directly at the Fed, fuelling theories that the company is positioning itself as a key player in a new financial infrastructure, potentially tied to government-level initiatives.