$XRP $XRP The XRP community was rocked at the start of 2026 when a striking message attached to a blockchain transaction went viral. At first glance, it seemed to be an official Ripple statement, claiming massive XRP sales in 2025 and hinting at more in 2026.
The post quickly sparked debate across social platforms, drawing concern from both retail holders and seasoned investors.
TheXRPguy highlighted the unusual transaction, sharing a screenshot from an XRPL explorer showing an EscrowFinish event with a memo that resembled a corporate announcement. The post gained rapid traction, but a closer look at the XRP Ledger mechanics reveals the truth: the memo was user-added and not authored by Ripple.
How XRP Escrow Works
The XRP Ledger uses escrows to manage token releases in a predictable, transparent way. Ripple regularly locks billions of XRP into time-bound escrows, typically releasing one billion XRP per month. Once the unlock time arrives, any account can submit an EscrowFinish transaction to complete the release.
The memo field in these transactions is fully customizable, meaning anyone can attach text that becomes permanently recorded on-chain. This transparency allows for creativity but also opens the door for misleading messages.
👉The Controversial Memo
In this incident, a third-party user submitted an EscrowFinish transaction aligned with Ripple’s scheduled release and added a memo claiming Ripple sold over $8 billion in XRP in 2025 and planned further sales for 2026 to expand its business and RLUSD initiatives.
While the escrow release itself was valid, the memo was not an official Ripple communication. The green “ESCROW NOTE” banner in the explorer explicitly states that such memos are user-added, emphasizing that the claims did not reflect corporate activity.
👉Community Reaction and Insights
The memo quickly fueled heated discussion within the XRP community. Many investors continue to equate escrow releases with direct market sales, although they are not the same.
Blockchain records confirm that finishing an escrow does not indicate a sale occurred on exchanges unless Ripple explicitly transacts. The prank memo leveraged existing concerns about supply and distribution, showing how misinformation can spread even in a transparent ecosystem.
👉Key Takeaways for XRP Holders
This episode underscores two important points: the XRP Ledger offers permanent, verifiable transaction records, and users must critically verify claims before reacting.
While the memo caused a stir, the immutable ledger confirmed reality: nothing beyond a cleverly timed prank took place. The XRP ecosystem remains transparent, predictable, and resilient against misinformation when holders rely on verified data.
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