Ripple officially confirms the termination of conjectures regarding the unlocking of a billion XRP assets.
In an unexpected turn of events, Ripple, the blockchain technology company, deviated from its standard practice of unlocking 1 billion XRP tokens on the first day of August 2025. Instead, the visible escrow release was delayed until August 9, causing a stir within the XRP community.
The delay came after Ripple locked 700 million XRP in escrow on August 2. This move added to the speculation and confusion within the community, with some assuming August 2025 could potentially be the first month without any unlocks since late 2017.
Ripple's Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, explained that the delay was due to a technical mechanism on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). According to Schwartz, while the escrow releases are programmed to occur on the first day of each month in Ripple’s system, the XRPL does not automatically process or show these releases until Ripple initiates a transaction to activate them.
On August 9, the escrow tokens were indeed unlocked in three transactions totaling 1 billion XRP. This pattern of delayed visible release after locking tokens earlier in the month had also been seen in prior months during 2024 and 2025. Ripple had adjusted escrow transactions by creating new escrows or delaying token releases, then releasing them later within the same month.
Ripple executives have clarified these actions to address community speculation and emphasize that the escrow release schedule remains fundamentally intact. According to XRPscan, the leading blockchain explorer for the XRP Ledger, there are approximately 35.6 billion XRP tokens remaining.
It's important to note that Ripple uses the released XRP tokens for funding on-demand liquidity usage, partnerships, acquisitions, and ecosystem developments. The company typically uses roughly 200-350 million XRP tokens per month.
Despite the delay in the August unlock, the speculation about the August unlock has been a topic of discussion within the XRP community. The reasons for the delay and the possibility of future changes in the escrow schedule remain subjects of interest and debate.
[1] Cointelegraph. (2025, August 10). Ripple delays August XRP unlock, causes confusion in XRP community. Retrieved from https://cointelegraph.com/news/ripple-delays-august-xrp-unlock-causes-confusion-in-xp-community
[2] U.Today. (2025, August 10). Ripple delays XRP unlock, causing confusion in the community. Retrieved from https://u.today/ripple-delays-xrp-unlock-causing-confusion-in-the-community
[3] XRPscan. (n.d.). XRP Ledger Explorer. Retrieved from https://xrpscan.io/
[4] Ripple. (2025, August 10). Ripple clarifies delay in August XRP unlock, reaffirms escrow schedule. Retrieved from https://ripple.com/insights/ripple-clarifies-delay-in-august-xrp-unlock-reaffirms-escrow-schedule
[5] CoinDesk. (2025, August 10). Ripple explains delay in August XRP unlock, reaffirms commitment to escrow schedule. Retrieved from https://www.coindesk.com/ripple-explains-delay-in-august-xrp-unlock-reaffirms-commitment-to-escrow-schedule
- The delay in the August XRP unlock by Ripple has sparked speculation about potential changes to the escrow schedule, with some questioning if August 2025 could be the first month without any unlocks since late 2017.
- Ripple's decision to lock 700 million XRP in escrow on August 2 and subsequently delay the visible release until August 9 has added to the uncertainty within the XRP community, with many trying to understand the technical mechanism behind the delay.
- As the whale-sized transfer of 1 billion XRP tokens was finally unlocked on August 9, many have started to analyze Ripple's token movement, aiming to grasp how these funds will be utilized in the realm of Ethereum-based finance and other areas of financial technology.
