Ripple Releases 1 Billion XRP as U.S. Spot ETFs Add $118M

Ripple released 1 billion XRP from escrow on June 1, following a monthly schedule the company set up in 2017. The program unlocks a fixed tranche of XRP at the start of each month.

On-chain records show Ripple typically returns most of each monthly tranche to new escrow contracts after selling or using a portion. The headline 1 billion figure therefore overstates the net amount entering circulation.

U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded funds recorded $118.29 million in net inflows in May, the largest monthly total for the category so far in 2026. Fund issuers including Bitwise, Canary and Franklin have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for their XRP products since launch.

The June escrow release and the May ETF flows coincided with XRP trading near $1.27, down roughly 4% over 24 hours and below short-term moving averages as the broader crypto market softened.

Some market participants view the monthly escrow unlocks as adding supply pressure when buyer demand is weak. Other participants note that most of each tranche is re-locked, which reduces the net new supply entering circulation.

The crypto fear and greed index stood at 23 on the day of the unlock, a reading classified as extreme fear. Market observers are tracking whether ETF inflows will continue to match returning escrow supply.

Historically, months when fund inflows matched re-locked escrow supply have seen limited price impact from the monthly unlock. The May inflows are the strongest institutional demand for XRP recorded so far in 2026.