Continuing with its usual monthly schedule, Ripple is set to release 1 billion XRP from escrow on February 1, 2026, marking the second token unlock in 2026. 

As has so far been the case, however, we’re unlikely to see the full 1 billion XRP entering circulation. 

Namely, under the transparency and supply predictability framework, 1 billion XRP is unlocked at the start of each month, but Ripple typically allocates a portion of the new batch for operational or liquidity purposes and re-escrows the rest.

With the release now just over a week away, the question is how much XRP will ultimately reach the market and whether it could influence XRP price action in early February.

How much XRP will Ripple unlock in February 2026?

The February unlock follows Ripple’s release of 1 billion XRP at the beginning of January. Immediately after, Ripple again re-escrowed 70% of the release, or 700,000,000 XRP in total, substantially limiting the amount entering active circulation.

This pattern has become a core feature of Ripple’s escrow management strategy. That is, while 1 billion XRP is technically unlocked each month, only a smaller portion is typically retained for operational purposes, while the remainder is placed into new escrow contracts, effectively extending the release schedule and constraining near-term supply growth.

As a result, the predictable nature of these releases, combined with consistent relocking, has historically muted their direct impact on XRP’s price. Rather, the token tends to move with broader crypto-market conditions and demand dynamics rather than the escrows themselves.

For instance, on the day of the first escrow in 2026, January 1, XRP was trading near $1.84, extending a gradual decline that had been in place since September 2025. By January 2, it was changing hands at $1.91 following a 2.74% daily gain. 

However, the rebound was driven by broader catalysts rather than the escrow event itself. Notably, Japan’s newly enacted 2026 tax reforms had just cut cryptocurrency taxes to 20% from 55% and cleared the launch of the country’s first XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF), which sparked market interest.

Accordingly, headline figures such as “1 billion” and “700 million XRP” are likely to have a limited impact on the price, which is more bound to altcoin sentiment and technicals.

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