Ripple unlocked 1 billion XRP, worth about $1.08 billion, on Aug. 2 in its monthly escrow release, split across three transactions.
The release came in three parts — 500 million XRP valued at about $532.86 million, 300 million XRP worth roughly $319.65 million, and 200 million XRP valued at approximately $213.11 million — according to data shared by Whale Alert on Aug. 2.
The unlock is part of a supply-management mechanism Ripple introduced in December 2017, under which up to 1 billion XRP is released from escrow on the first day of each month. Ripple typically re-locks a large portion of the batch; through 2026 it has returned an average of 700 million XRP per month to new escrow contracts, leaving a net addition of about 300 million XRP for operations, liquidity services, and partnerships. Following the August release, XRP's circulating supply stands at about 62.5 billion tokens, with more than 32 billion still locked in escrow.
The release drew minimal market reaction, with XRP trading around $1.05 at the time of the unlock and rising about 2 percent to $1.08 by press time. The token's near-term direction now hinges less on the routine escrow event and more on the U.S. CLARITY Act, which faces a Senate vote before the Aug. 7 recess; passage could unlock roughly $8 billion in ETF inflows, according to Standard Chartered. XRP holds immediate support between $1.05 and $1.06, with resistance at $1.09 near the 20-day EMA and stronger barriers at $1.10 and the $1.12-$1.15 range.
The August release also marked a shift in transaction timing from prior months, a change traders watch for signals about how much of the batch Ripple will re-lock. The escrow-to-absorption ratio remains the central supply dynamic: Ripple puts 200 million to 400 million XRP into circulation net each month, while the seven U.S. spot XRP ETFs combined have absorbed about 109 million XRP per month since their September 2025 launch, according to crypto.news data. That gap has weighed on XRP, which is down more than 43 percent year to date and trades about 71 percent below its July 2025 peak of $3.65.
XRP's broader outlook is tied to Bitcoin's performance and the CLARITY Act timeline. Majority Leader John Thune has signaled the Senate may not pass the bill before the summer recess, though White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt insists the first week of August remains achievable. If the vote slips to September, XRP's near-term support at $1.00 becomes the key level to watch, with a break below exposing $0.92 and the $0.70-$0.80 zone that has contained every XRP bottom since 2017.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.