The future of XRP is drawing increased attention as Ripple’s long-standing escrow program may reach completion earlier than originally expected. The program, which began in 2017 when Ripple locked away 55 billion XRP, is now nearing its final phase with less than 36 billion tokens remaining in escrow.
The future of XRP is drawing increased attention as Ripple’s long-standing escrow program may reach completion earlier than originally expected. The program, which began in 2017 when Ripple locked away 55 billion XRP, is now nearing its final phase with less than 36 billion tokens remaining in escrow.
Back in 2017, Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, emphasized the predictability the escrow system would provide for the XRP supply. His aim was to instill confidence in investors by capping the amount of XRP entering the market each month. Fast forward eight years, and that plan has indeed maintained a measured release of XRP, although current activity indicates a possible acceleration.
According to updated data from XRPwallets, projections suggest that Ripple’s remaining escrowed XRP could be fully distributed between 2032 and 2035—depending heavily on monthly release volumes. If the current pattern of releasing approximately 300 million XRP each month continues, the supply will exhaust by 2035. However, there’s growing speculation that this rate could soon increase.
In a scenario where Ripple begins increasing the release volume to 400 million XRP a month starting in 2026, the exhaustion date moves to 2032. An even faster plan speculates a ramp-up to 600 million XRP monthly by 2028. This would significantly shorten the timeline, hinting that the full market supply of XRP could emerge much sooner than anticipated.
The July 2025 on-chain activity offered a noticeable shift in strategy. Ripple executed two separate token unlocks early in the month—500 million XRP on July 1, followed by another 500 million just three days later. While 700 million of the total 1 billion XRP were re-locked, 300 million were injected into circulation.
This released supply is believed to support Ripple’s expanding use cases, including on-demand liquidity solutions and other financial infrastructure innovations. There’s also speculation that some of it could be geared towards future exchange-traded products involving XRP, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Ripple appears to be moving away from its previously predictable pattern of monthly unlocks followed by relocking unused tokens. Instead, the company is showing signs of adapting token releases to reflect real-time demand rather than sticking solely to supply discipline. This adjusted approach might be favorable for institutions depending on XRP-based solutions, as it ensures the token’s availability aligns with its utility in the market.
For current XRP holders, this evolution brings new dynamics. A faster supply release schedule could hasten market saturation, yet it also reflects growing demand from enterprise usage, potentially solidifying XRP’s role in digital finance. The balance between timely adoption and controlled distribution will remain key as Ripple navigates the remaining life cycle of its escrow accounts.
This unfolding strategy underscores Ripple’s responsiveness to a rapidly evolving digital economy. With increased focus on liquidity, compliance, and institutional integration, the remaining 20 billion XRP could be allocated much faster than initially forecasted, potentially reshaping the XRP ecosystem across the next decade.
Brad Garlinghouse originally highlighted the locked escrow as a mechanism to build investor trust. Today, as the company explores agile release strategies, Ripple signals not only confidence in growing demand for XRP but also a readiness to meet it with liquidity on hand.
Related: XRP Price: $12M Max Pain for Bears
Ripple’s upcoming decisions around escrow and release volumes may define the pace and scope of XRP’s global adoption. As token distribution strategies shift from fixed schedules to demand-driven logic, both institutional players and retail holders will be watching closely.
Quick Summary
The future of XRP is drawing increased attention as Ripple’s long-standing escrow program may reach completion earlier than originally expected. The program, which began in 2017 when Ripple locked away 55 billion XRP, is now nearing its final phase with less than 36 billion tokens remaining in escrow.
Source
Information sourced from official Ripple publications, institutional research, regulatory documentation and reputable crypto news outlets.
Author
Ripple Van Winkle is a cryptocurrency analyst and founder of XRP Right Now. He has been active in the crypto space for over 8 years and has generated more than 25 million views across YouTube covering XRP daily.
Editorial Note
Opinions are the author's alone and for informational purposes only. This publication does not provide investment advice.

