Ripple will unlock 1 billion XRP on January 1, 2026 — What to expect?

Ripple is poised to release 1 billion XRP from escrow on January 1, 2026, marking its first scheduled token unlock of the new year. 

As has historically been the practice, however, the release is unlikely to see the entire 1 billion XRP entering the open market. Indeed, the forthcoming release is part of an escrow schedule established in 2017 to enhance transparency and supply predictability. 

According to this arrangement, 1 billion XRP is unlocked at the beginning of each month, but Ripple then typically earmarks a portion for operations or liquidity needs while re-escrowing the remainder.

With only a week or so remaining, the focus is thus on the exact figure we’re going to see in circulation and, of course, whether it is going to affect XRP price dynamics in early January.

The first Ripple XRP escrow of 2026

In recent months, Ripple has regularly returned between 60% and 80% of unlocked tokens to escrow.  For instance, during the December 2025 unlock, roughly 1 billion XRP was released, but 70% of it was promptly re-locked, with only 300,000 XRP retained for potential distribution.

The practice so far thus suggests that Ripple is going to return the bulk of the new batch to long-term storage once again. Nonetheless, the figures still represent a substantial sum at current valuations, even if only a part of the release actually becomes liquid.

Accordingly, traders tend to monitor on-chain activity and price more closely, especially if there are large transfers that could signal incoming selling pressure, even if previous unlocks have shown little lasting effect on XRP’s price.

What’s more notable is that the upcoming release also comes at a moment when the narrative surrounding XRP could be influenced by the CLARITY Act, which has now been confirmed for January.  The act is important as it establishes clear rules for how banks and financial institutions can engage with digital assets, including XRP. 

Together, these developments could have a more substantial impact on XRP prices in the following weeks, or regulatory developments might influence how much Ripple is going to re-lock following the ‘dump.’

Featured image via Shutterstock