Ripple Kicks Off 2026 with 1 Billion XRP Unlock

Ripple, the San Francisco-headquartered enterprise blockchain company associated with the XRP token, has executed its scheduled monthly release for the start of the new year. A total of a billion tokens have been released in three separate tranches, according to the latest data provided by Whale Alert. 

Early clarity 

Ripple used to hold roughly 60% of the total XRP supply in its own wallets. Since there were no rules, no one knew how many tokens the San Francisco-based company would sell in a given month. 

Then, the company voluntarily locked 55 billion XRP into a series of cryptographically secured escrows on the ledger. These contracts were programmed to expire on the first day of every month (one by one). As noted by Ripple CTO David Schwartz, the escrow actually restricts the company’s power to sell. 

This January 2026 unlock appears to have executed smoothly and “on time”. 

In mid-2025, Ripple started moving funds internally and “re-locking” tokens before the main unlock appeared on trackers. This reversal confused some community members, and it even fueled some conspiracy theories. 

However, as reported by U.Today, the company went back to the familiar pattern later in the year. 

Ripple’s re-locks 

What happens after the unlock is probably the most misunderstood part of this process. Historically, Ripple rarely uses the full 1 billion. They typically sell a portion to provide liquidity to ODL customers or fund operations. The company typically re-locks the remainder.

For instance, if they unlock 1 billion but only need 200 million, they will put the remaining 800 million into a new escrow contract that will open in the distant future. 

In the coming hours or days, Whale Alert will report several “re-lock” transactions.