Ripple is scheduled to unlock 1 billion XRP tokens from its escrow accounts on Sunday, November 1, 2026, as part of its monthly token release program.
The unlock could increase XRP’s available market supply, though it doesn’t necessarily mean all 1 billion tokens will be sold.
Ripple has historically returned a substantial portion to escrow while retaining some for operations, liquidity, and ecosystem activities.
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According to on-chain data, two Ripple-controlled wallets still held 500 million XRP each as of October 29. The tokens came from the previous October 1 unlock, and neither wallet had recorded an outgoing payment since receiving them.
Ripple’s XRP supply situation
This creates an unusual supply situation heading into November, as Ripple could access another 1 billion XRP while the previous allocation remains in its wallets. The upcoming release involves two escrow accounts, each containing 500 million XRP.
However, reaching the scheduled release date does not automatically transfer the tokens. Ripple must submit an EscrowFinish transaction to complete the release, meaning the scheduled unlock should not be confused with a confirmed transfer or sale.
Ripple introduced its escrow program in December 2017, placing 55 billion XRP, or 55% of the cryptocurrency’s maximum 100 billion supply, into time-locked contracts.
The arrangement was designed to make XRP supply more predictable through monthly releases of up to 1 billion tokens, with unused amounts returned to new escrow contracts rather than immediately entering circulation.
Recent releases have largely followed this pattern. On-chain tracking shows Ripple re-locked approximately 700 million XRP, or 70% of each monthly release, over the 12 months through October 2026, leaving approximately 300 million XRP outside escrow each month for operational needs, liquidity provision, and ecosystem activities.
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The upcoming unlock also comes amid a challenging market environment for XRP. In this case, the U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded $3.61 million in outflows in the week leading up to October 29, raising concerns about institutional demand.
However, large holders continued accumulating XRP. As reported by Finbold, wallets holding at least 10 million XRP collectively controlled 46.87 billion tokens, representing approximately 68.5% of the circulating supply.
XRP price analysis
By press time, XRP was trading at $1.24, down approximately 0.9% over the past 24 hours and more than 2% over the past week.
At the current price, XRP is trading below both its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of $1.39 and 200-day SMA of $1.28, signalling a bearish technical outlook.
However, the 50-day SMA remains above the 200-day average, suggesting that a longer-term bearish crossover has not yet occurred.
Meanwhile, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 37.46, indicating weakening momentum but remaining above the oversold threshold of 30.
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This suggests XRP remains vulnerable to further downside, although a recovery in buying pressure could help it reclaim the $1.28 200-day SMA as an initial technical hurdle.
Featured image via Shutterstock
