1 Billion XRP Tokens Unlocked from Escrow

June 1 marks yet another scheduled release of 1 billion XRP tokens from Ripple’s escrow system.

For those unfamiliar with the system, Ripple created it back in December 2017 as a mechanism to provide stability to the XRP market.

The company locked away 55 billion XRP into a series of escrows, each holding 1 billion XRP, set to be released monthly over 55 months.

Whether these monthly releases influence XRP’s price remains a contentious issue, with most arguing that the predictable nature of the release minimizes the impact on the market.

In parallel with this release, the XRP token, integral to the Ripple blockchain ecosystem, has been turning heads. It’s currently the most trending asset in the cryptocurrency landscape, according to a report from crypto analytics platform Santiment.

This flurry of activity may signal a shift in price behavior, although precise predictions are notoriously challenging in the volatile crypto market.

In the midst of these positive market indicators, speculations about XRP hitting the $1 mark have been swirling, primarily propelled by prominent crypto trader DonAlt. The token last saw this price point in November 2021. The unprecedented increase in address activity over the past few days has stoked optimism about XRP’s potential to outpace the wider crypto market, despite ongoing concerns over Ripple’s high-profile lawsuit with the SEC over the classification of XRP as a security.

The lawsuit’s outcome, expected in the coming weeks, could play a significant role in the long-term trajectory of the XRP token, according to John Deaton, a lawyer supportive of XRP.

At press time, the XRP price is sitting at $0.51, and despite the recent uptick and buzz, the token remains more than 80% down from its record high set in January 2018. Currently, XRP holds a market cap of over $26 billion, with a 24-hour trading volume surpassing $1.6 billion.