- Ripple recently moved 150 million XRP worth $66 million from its reserves to various crypto wallets.
- This significant transaction is part of Ripple’s routine distribution and has sparked interest in the crypto community, though it hasn’t immediately impacted XRP’s price.
Ripple’s Release and Redistribution of XRP Tokens
Ripple recently transferred a substantial amount of XRP tokens from its reserves to various crypto wallets. This transaction, involving approximately 150 million XRP worth around $66 million, has garnered significant attention within the crypto community, although it has not immediately impacted XRP’s price.
On July 1, Ripple initiated its regular monthly release of XRP, unlocking 1 billion tokens from the initial distribution. Of this amount, 200 million XRP were sent to Ripple’s vault account, while the remaining 800 million were retained by the company. Additionally, Ripple moved another 100 million XRP from the “Ripple (35)” account, bringing the total to 300 million XRP.
As part of this transaction, 150 million XRP were transferred from the vault account labeled “Ripple (1)” to a specific crypto wallet, identified as rP4X2hTa. This practice of releasing XRP into the market is standard for Ripple, contributing to the inflation of the XRP supply as previously uncirculated tokens are introduced.
Currently, the rP4X2hTa account holds 202 million XRP, while 50 million have already been moved to another account, rhWt2bhR, known as a well-established intermediate address. Furthermore, the r4wf7e9W wallet sent a total of 71.55 million XRP, valued at approximately $31.5 million, to centralized exchanges such as Bitstamp, BTC Markets, and Bitso.
Impact on XRP Price and Market Dynamics
At present, the wallets mentioned in this transaction hold around 234.38 million XRP tokens, valued at over $103 million. There is a possibility that these tokens might eventually be transferred to centralized exchanges.
Typically, entities move their crypto assets from self-custody to centralized exchanges when they intend to sell them. Some believe Ripple’s movement of tokens is necessary to maintain adequate liquidity within the market. Historically, however, Ripple’s sale of tokens has had a notable impact on XRP’s price, primarily due to the selling pressure created in the spot market. In many instances, Ripple’s decision to sell its tokens has led to local price drops for XRP.
Despite these transactions, Ripple’s latest move did not immediately affect XRP’s price. The market appears to have absorbed the transfer without significant volatility, although the long-term effects remain to be seen.
