For over a decade, blockchain company Ripple and its key executives have systematically offloaded significant portions of their XRP holdings into the open market. This long-term distribution strategy, initiated from XRP's fixed 100 billion token supply created at launch, has allowed the digital asset to reach remarkable valuations despite consistent selling pressure.
XRP's Genesis and Initial Distribution
Launched in 2012, XRP began with a finite supply of 100 billion tokens, with no mechanisms for mining, staking, or inflation. A substantial 80 billion XRP was initially allocated to the company that would later become Ripple, while the remaining 20 billion XRP were distributed among its founders and early insiders, including Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto, and David Schwartz. Today, Ripple and its named executives collectively retain control over approximately 41.485 billion XRP. Ripple itself holds about 37.685 billion XRP, with 3.5 billion in readily accessible wallets and a significant 34.185 billion securely locked in an escrow system. Among the executives, Ripple's chairman Chris Larsen holds around 2.5 billion XRP across eight wallets, and co-founder Arthur Britto controls roughly 1.3 billion XRP spread across seven wallets. Interestingly, co-founder David Schwartz holds a considerably smaller amount, historically peaking at about 26 million XRP, a stark contrast to the multi-billion token holdings of his counterparts.
Strategic Sales and Market Evolution
Since 2012, an estimated 58.515 billion XRP has been sold or distributed by Ripple and its executives. This massive distribution has coincided with an extraordinary price surge for XRP; from an approximate value of $0.00587 in August 2013, it now trades near $1.88, marking an astonishing 31,756% increase. To manage supply and prevent market shocks, Ripple implemented a strategic escrow system in 2017, locking up 55 billion XRP and allowing for the release of up to 1 billion XRP each month. Any unutilized tokens are returned to escrow, ensuring a controlled release. As of 2026, 34.185 billion XRP remains under this escrow system. At current prices, the total XRP distributed over the past 13 years would be valued at approximately $109 billion. This carefully phased distribution, alongside continuous ecosystem development, navigated legal challenges, and multiple market cycles, underscores a managed approach that has not undermined XRP's long-term market growth.
