Ripple unlocks another billion XRP on Feb 1st, but the real pattern is what happens next—most of it goes right back into escrow, keeping supply predictable.
Ripple's XRP Unlocks: Understanding the Monthly Cycle
On February 1st, Ripple will unlock another billion XRP from escrow. It's the second time this year, following the same monthly rhythm the company established back in 2017. At this point, calling it "news" feels almost generous—it's more like watching a clock tick.
What's more telling than the unlock itself is what happens immediately after. On-chain data from January's release shows Ripple re-locked somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of that supply almost as soon as it became available. The pattern suggests this process isn't really about injecting liquidity into the market in any aggressive way. It's more about maintaining a controlled, transparent schedule that prevents the kind of surprise dumps that would spook holders or traders.
The original framework was designed to address concerns about Ripple holding too much XRP and having the ability to flood the market at will. By locking up massive amounts in smart contract escrows that release on a fixed timetable, they traded flexibility for predictability. And predictability, it turns out, is what institutional players and market watchers actually want when dealing with centralized token supplies.
What stands out to me is how normalized this has become. A few years ago, every unlock sparked speculation about sell pressure and market impact. Now it barely registers as a headline. The market has absorbed the unlock-relock cycle into its baseline expectations, which might be exactly the point Ripple was aiming for all along.
0 Comments