Overview
- Ripple’s scheduled Jan. 1 release unlocked 1 billion XRP in three transactions, sending 300 million and 200 million to a major Ripple wallet and 500 million to another Ripple address.
- The attached message claiming massive 2025 sales and larger 2026 plans was not from Ripple, with analysts confirming it was a prank memo written by the EscrowFinish submitter.
- On the XRP Ledger, any account can trigger an escrow release once the time lock expires, and the initiator controls the permanent memo field visible on-chain.
- Blockchain records later showed new escrow creations totaling 700 million XRP within the day, indicating substantial relocking consistent with Ripple’s historical practice.
- Trading activity picked up around the event, yet reported price swings were contained relative to the unlock size as educators urged clearer guidance on escrow mechanics.