Ripple schedules second 1 billion XRP unlock for February 2026

Ripple prepares second 2026 escrow release

Ripple will unlock another 1 billion XRP from escrow on 1 February 2026 as part of its fixed monthly schedule. XRP is a digital payment token used on the XRP Ledger, a public blockchain that records and settles payments. Ripple created the escrow so the company releases XRP on a predictable calendar and provides greater certainty about future token supply. The February event is the second unlock of 2026, after the same 1 billion XRP release on 1 January 2026.

How the escrow timetable works

Ripple locked 55 billion XRP into escrow contracts in 2017, after holding the majority of the total 100 billion XRP supply. Those contracts release 1 billion XRP on the first day of each month, and any unused portion returns to new escrow contracts with later dates. Historical data from 2023 to 2025 shows Ripple re-locks roughly 60% to 80% of each monthly unlock. Analysts estimate that only about 200–300 million XRP per month usually remains in circulation after these re-locks.

Price, indicators, and market reaction

XRP traded near $1.98 in mid-January 2026, around 4% lower than the previous 24 hours during the article’s press time. Price feeds placed the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) close to $2.0 and the 200-day SMA near $2.6, with the shorter average below the longer one. Technical dashboards reported a 14-day relative strength index (RSI) close to 45, which sits in a neutral band between clear overbought and oversold levels. Speculation: traders will focus on how much of the February unlock returns to escrow, because the free-floating amount sets short-term selling pressure.

Regulatory backdrop and xrp investment flows

The long-running case between Ripple and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ended in August 2025 with a settlement and a $125 million civil penalty. After that closure, financial firms launched spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) products linked to XRP on major United States venues. One issuer reported hundreds of millions of dollars in inflows during December 2025 as investors added regulated XRP exposure. This backdrop means February’s unlock arrives while institutional traders already track escrow movements alongside ETF flows.