Saturday, August 1, 2026 · XRPTRACER news
By XRPTRACER Research Team
Ripple's August escrow cycle ran in a different order than usual. According to XRPScan data reported by several outlets, Ripple re-locked 700 million XRP first, in two transactions of 200M and 500M, and only then did the scheduled 1 billion XRP release go out in three pieces of 500M, 300M and 200M. Net new supply for the month is about 300 million XRP.
XRP market moves
XRP opened August 1 (00:00 UTC) at about $1.06, with a market cap near $66.3B (CoinGecko daily history). That's slightly below the July 31 open of about $1.08. Whale Alert's valuations of the three release transactions imply a price near $1.065. The level traders care about is still $1.05; below that, FXStreet earlier this week pointed to $1.00.
How the escrow works
In December 2017, Ripple locked 55 billion XRP into escrow contracts on the XRP Ledger, set to release up to 1 billion XRP on the first of each month. Ripple can't open a contract early; the ledger enforces the schedule. Whatever Ripple doesn't need goes back into a new escrow contract at the end of the line.
Throughout 2026, Ripple has re-locked 700 million XRP every month (Whale Alert records), leaving about 300 million per month outside escrow. August keeps that number. What changed is the order.
Why the order matters
Normally the release comes first and the re-lock follows hours or days later. For a while, the full 1B sits unlocked, and that's when "Ripple just unlocked $1 billion of XRP" headlines appear. This month, the re-lock came first. At no point did a full billion sit loose, and anyone watching the ledger could see the net number right away.
It's not the first change in sequencing; reports note a similar change once before. It's still worth noting, because it removes a recurring source of confusion.
Question everything
A tighter sequence doesn't mean less supply. Net supply is about 300M XRP, same as every month this year. What happens to that 300M is still not public: Ripple stopped publishing its quarterly XRP Markets Reports after Q1 2025, so how much is sold, used for partnerships or held is not disclosed. The re-lock order is a cleaner signal; it isn't new information about Ripple selling.
What people are talking about
On X, the "tightest unlock ever" framing is spreading fast, alongside the usual "Ripple dumping" posts that show up on the first of every month. The more careful accounts are doing the math: 1B released minus 700M re-locked = 300M net, unchanged from the pattern all year.
On-chain data
- Gross release: 1,000,000,000 XRP in three transactions (500M / 300M / 200M), per Whale Alert
- Re-locked: 700,000,000 XRP in two transactions (200M / 500M), per XRPScan data cited by U.Today and others
- Net new supply: about 300,000,000 XRP
- Remaining in escrow: more than 32 billion XRP, per Finbold citing escrow data. Escrow totals differ between explorers; we haven't reconciled them on-chain.
- XRP price: about $1.06 at 00:00 UTC (CoinGecko)
Flows and macro
US spot XRP ETFs closed July with a strong +$14.78M session on July 31, per XRP Insights, bringing July to about +$28.8M, a fourth straight month of net inflows. The Fed held rates at 3.50%–3.75% on July 29. The Clarity Act is on hold until the Senate returns from its August recess.
What to watch next
- Where the 300M goes: movements from Ripple's operational wallets in the coming days
- September 1: whether the re-lock-first order becomes the new standard
- $1.05 support on the daily chart
- ETF flows in the first week of August
The XRPTRACER take
The August cycle is a small operational change with a useful side effect: the headline and the real number now line up. Net supply is the same 300M as all year. We track every monthly release, re-lock and net figure on the Ripple Unlocks section of the Catalyst Tracker and supply trends on the Dashboard.
Sources: Whale Alert: August re-lock · Finbold: Ripple unlocks 1B XRP for August · Digital Today: 700M re-deposited ahead of unlock · edgeX: August escrow timing shift · Ripple: Q1 2025 XRP Markets Report · CoinGecko XRP history · XRP Insights ETF flows
Price is CoinGecko's daily snapshot at 00:00 UTC on August 1, 2026. ETF flows through July 31.
Not investment advice. See our Disclaimer.
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