Once again generating news is Ripple as the company issued 1 billion XRP coins from its escrow accounts on September 1, 2024. Costing more than $560 million, the release has caused waves in the digital currency market.
First, 500 million XRP were released in three consecutive phases; next were 200 million and finally 300 million. Every one of the three transactions was completed within minutes, suggesting that Ripple was onto maintaining really good token supply control.
Market Reaction To The Unlock
The price of XRP did go slightly lower right after the unlock, at $0.55, which is a drop of 2.26% from the previous day. This shouldn’t really be a surprise, given how large-scale releases have time and again proved to affect prices.
According to Whale Alert, at 10:50 UTC+8 today, 1 billion XRP were unlocked from the rDqGA…mKxEsF in three transactions, with a value of over $560 million dollars. The address: rDqGA…mKxEsF was marked as an official Ripple address by XRPSCAN and bithomp.…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 1, 2024
Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has previously acknowledged that mixed feelings when it comes to these monthly unlocks. While this may be an attempt to make the markets more transparent and predictable, in actual sense, such releases serve to inject volatility into the markets.
Interestingly, the unlocked tokens remain in the “Ripple 24” wallet, which means there are no immediate plans to further distribute them. That can soften a more severe drop in price since these tokens are not yet on the market.
However, analysts warn that the increased liquidity from such tokens may lead to possible sell-offs and further unpredictability of the token’s price in the near future.
Historical Context And Predictions
Up until now, Ripple had been releasing 1 billion XRP every month, a tradition that started in May 2024, while more than 43 billion XRP remain locked up in escrow until December 2027.
In fact, the organization believes its approach will ensure gradual control dilution and further decentralization of its network. Ripple’s willingness to sell has recently drawn investors’ attention because such sales affect XRP’s price.
Analysts are still divided about what could be the future of XRP. A few believe there could be a spike, similar to the exponential jumps in price that were seen in 2020, while others anticipate a flat, if not, stagnant trajectory.
Wider Ramifications For The Crypto Market
Were XRP to break out from the shackles of its current trading patterns, some estimates put it as high as $4. This optimism is predicated on market demand and overall resilience in the crypto market.
What Ripple is doing has effects that could spread well beyond just XRP in the market. More broadly, cautious optimism continues to define the crypto market while many investors remain in wait-and-see mode until clearer signs of an altcoin season materialize.
Featured image from Nature, chart from TradingView