Ripple Labs is set to unlock 1 billion XRP, on or soon after June 1, 2025, currently worth over $2.3 billion at press time on May 19, drastically increasing the cryptocurrency’s circulating supply.
While the sudden influx creates a risk that the token’s value will decrease, it is relatively likely that any resulting price movements will be limited and short-lived.
Despite the unlock adding more XRP tokens into the market, Ripple has, so far, been controlling the impact by swiftly relocking most unleashed cryptocurrency for future escrow cycles and only using 30-40% for its network and other needs.
In 2025, the risks have become even lower since the blockchain company changed the order of operations and has, for several consecutive months, been executing the re-locking before unlocking.
Why June 2025 is likely to be volatile for the XRP price
Nonetheless, June could be a more sensitive month than most. In 2024, it saw one of Ripple’s biggest token dumps on record as it sold 400 million XRP during the regular escrow cycle.
Overall, June 2024 saw substantial volatility as the cryptocurrency, at the extreme, swung nearly 20% and spent most of the month in 10% moves between about $0.47 and approximately $0.52.
Furthermore, June 17 is the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) deadline for a decision on spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Paired with the court’s latest rejection of a deal between the regulator and Ripple, substantial volatility is likely.
XRP price plunges to $2.32, jeopardizing monthly gains
Depending on how the cryptocurrency market performs in the remaining third of May, the June 2025 escrow cycle could generate irregular selling pressure. XRP enjoyed a strong rally in the first half of the month, hitting a 30-day high above $2.60, but then rapidly corrected.
The May 18 upsurge enabled the token to climb from $2.32 to $2.43, but evaporated by the morning of May 19, bringing the cryptocurrency back to $2.32.
Interestingly, despite the strength of the Monday downturn, XRP remains substantially higher in the 30-day chart, having gained 10.92% since trading near $2.09 on April 19.
Lastly, despite the latest turbulence, the price uncertainty could help the June unlock go smoother since Ripple has favored selling during a strong uptrend. November 2024 saw an even larger sale than June of the year, and coincided with a powerful rally that absorbed the dump, making it indistinguishable in the charts.
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