Ripple Labs has unlocked another 1 billion XRP from the escrow account on May 1, 2026.
The blockchain payment company unlocked XRP tokens valued at approximately $1.37 billion on Friday, according to on-chain data from XRPSCAN analyzed by Finbold. Notably, the company unlocked its latest monthly tranche of XRP in four transactions.
The largest single unlock was 400 million tokens valued at about $547 million. The other transactions involved 100 million, 300 million, and 200 million unlocks. Following the unlock, Ripple’s escrow account held about 33.35 billion tokens, which is valued at about $45.69 billion at press time, based on on-chain metrics from XRPSCAN.
Meanwhile, the company could relock 700 million XRP in the escrow account, as it has done over the past several months, as Finbold pointed out. The remaining 300 million tokens, currently worth around $411 million, could be deposited into crypto exchanges or over-the-counter (OTC) desks for potential liquidation.
Furthermore, Ripple uses the altcoin’s sales to build its payment products, which helps drive mainstream adoption of the XRP Ledger (XRPL). As Finbold previously reported, XRPL transactions are dominated by payments, especially cross-border settlements.
What’s the expected impact of Ripple unlock on XRP price?
The latest 1 billion unlock of XRP from Ripple’s escrow has coincided with renewed selling pressure from whales, as Finbold highlighted. As such, the expected dilution of the token’s circulating supply, which stands at approximately 61.68 billion, could further exacerbate the token’s near-term bearish sentiment.
Over the past seven days, the token’s price has dropped by over 4%, currently trading at about $1.37. Consequently, the token’s market capitalization fell to nearly $85 billion at the time of publication.
