Ripple kicked off 2026 with its first scheduled XRP escrow unlock, releasing 1 billion XRP right at midnight on January 1. The tokens were unlocked through three transactions, all happening within seconds of each other. Despite the size of the release, price movement stayed relatively calm, with no major shock to the market.
The 1 billion XRP was split evenly. 500 million XRP went to two large wallets in chunks of 300 million and 200 million, while the remaining 500 million XRP went to Ripple itself. Both wallets now hold 1 billion XRP each, built up from previous monthly unlocks.
So far, none of the newly unlocked XRP has moved, and Ripple hasn’t relocked any tokens yet. That’s not unusual—since launching its escrow system in 2017, Ripple has often waited to see how markets react before deciding how much XRP to put back into escrow.
Trading activity did pick up after the unlock, but price swings were small compared to the size of the release.
The Memo That Caused the Mess
Things got messy when people noticed transaction memos attached to all three unlocks. The messages claimed Ripple had sold billions of XRP in 2025 to fund acquisitions and planned even bigger sales in 2026. The tone was sarcastic and openly mocking XRP holders.
Naturally, the community exploded.
But here’s the key point: Ripple didn’t write those memos.
Blockchain analysts later confirmed the messages came from a third party, not Ripple. This exposed a big misunderstanding about how Ripple’s escrow works.
How Ripple’s Escrow Actually Works
When a scheduled escrow unlock time arrives, any wallet can trigger the release. The wallet that triggers it can also attach a memo—even if that memo is misleading or fake. Ripple is simply the recipient of the XRP, not the controller of the transaction or its message.
This setup has existed since 2017, but many people still believe Ripple personally pushes the button on every unlock and writes the accompanying notes. That’s not the case.
After the confusion spread, community members tracked down the source of the memo and issued clarifications. Educational posts followed, explaining how escrow mechanics work and how to tell official Ripple communications from random on-chain messages.
Bigger Picture
The unlock came after a period of price weakness in late 2025, even as Ripple continued to see growing institutional adoption of its technology.
The takeaway?
The XRP unlock itself was routine. The real story was the fake memo, which showed just how much confusion still exists around Ripple’s escrow system—and how easy it is for misinformation to spread on-chain.
In short: 1 billion XRP unlocked, nothing dumped, and a reminder that not everything written on the blockchain comes from the company receiving the tokens.
