According to CryptoPotato, Ripple Labs released 1 billion XRP tokens into the Ripple ecosystem at the beginning of November. Blockchain intelligence firm Whale Alert reported that the monthly unlocking of a billion XRP tokens amounts to roughly 1% of the eventual total supply. The company released the tokens from an escrow smart contract in three tranches, following their standard practice since 2017. In November, just a little over half of all the XRP that will ever be issued are currently in circulation.
Ripple Labs has been increasing the circulating supply of XRP each month since 2017, with a plan to release the entire supply by April 2027. The company usually re-locks a sizable portion of the new supply and rolls it over to the next month to gradually increase circulation and prevent supply shocks from having an undue influence on the price. Despite the growing supply, demand for XRP remains strong due to Ripple's partnerships in finance and its legal battle with the SEC, contrasting with other cryptocurrencies that reduce supply to increase value.
