Ripple is set to unlock 1 billion XRP tokens from its escrow account on August 1, 2025, as part of its monthly release schedule.
The August release is expected to follow the usual pattern: unlocking 1 billion XRP, returning most to escrow, and using the remainder for operational and market needs.
Ripple’s escrow system, launched in 2017, ensures a predictable and transparent XRP supply by unlocking 1 billion XRP each month over a 55-month cycle.
Typically, Ripple returns 60% to 70% of the released tokens to escrow. For example, in June 2025, approximately 670 million XRP was re-escrowed, while 330 million was retained for the company’s use, liquidity, or strategy. In some months, less than 1 billion XRP has been released.
The practice has drawn criticism from some XRP holders, who accuse Ripple of dumping tokens to fund operations at the expense of investors.
However, legal consultant and pro-XRP lawyer Bill Morgan dismissed the “escrow dump” narrative in an X post on July 22, noting that Ripple’s escrow holdings have already fallen by 20 billion XRP since 2017, from 55 billion to about 35 billion, without destabilizing the market.
Morgan also pointed out that even the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which sued Ripple in 2020 over alleged securities violations, did not claim the escrow releases were manipulative. The SEC acknowledged the escrow mechanism was intended to support XRP’s price stability, not suppress it.
Impact on XRP price
It remains to be seen if the August unlock will impact XRP’s price. Notably, past unlocks have had minimal effect, with XRP’s price more influenced by broader market trends and factors such as Ripple’s ongoing legal battle with the SEC.
At press time, XRP was trading at $3.29, having plunged over 6% in the past 24 hours, while remaining up more than 10% on the weekly timeframe.
XRP is currently aiming to reclaim the $3.50 level, a key resistance on its path to a new all-time high of $4.
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