Ripple Escrows $1.5B in XRP as Token Turns 13 — Price Drops 7% in 24 Hours

Ripple, the company behind the XRP cryptocurrency, recently moved a huge amount of XRP tokens — worth about $1.5 billion — into special locked accounts called escrow wallets. This happened just as XRP celebrated its 13th birthday on June 2, 2025.

On June 1, Ripple transferred two large batches of XRP: one for 470 million tokens (about $1 billion) and another for 200 million tokens (roughly $437 million). These moves are part of Ripple’s usual way of controlling how many XRP tokens are available in the market at any time.

Here’s how it works: Ripple locks most of its XRP in escrow and releases up to 1 billion tokens every month. The company uses some of these tokens to fund its business activities, like partnerships with banks. Whatever tokens aren’t used are locked back in escrow. This process is meant to keep the XRP supply steady and transparent.

But when Ripple moves this many tokens at once, investors sometimes get worried. They fear Ripple might sell a large amount of XRP, which can cause the price to drop. After the last big release of 1 billion tokens, XRP’s price fell by almost 24%.

This time, after moving $1.5 billion in XRP, the price dropped more than 7% in just one day, trading around $2.14. It shows that big token moves still make investors nervous.

There’s another issue some people worry about: Ripple owns a large chunk of all XRP tokens. Estimates say Ripple controls between 36% and 39% of the total XRP supply, either locked in escrow or directly held. Some say Ripple’s share could be as high as 55%, which makes some holders question how much control Ripple really has.

Many XRP users aren’t sure if Ripple always uses the released tokens the way they say. One Reddit user said, “We don’t really know if Ripple sells XRP only to fund their operations or if they do something else with the tokens. It’s a matter of trust.”

Ripple insists they are transparent. Their 2024 report says most tokens released each month are returned to escrow if not used.

XRP turning 13 shows it’s one of the oldest cryptocurrencies around, but it still faces questions about how decentralized it really is. As Ripple manages these large token amounts, people will keep watching how it affects XRP’s price and trust in the network.

Also Read: Will XRP Reach $5 by 2027? These 3 Developments Could Make It Happen