Discussions about XRP’s supply have reemerged following a detailed post on X by an investor known as Lord Belgrave, who shared a perspective that goes beyond the typical focus on tokens held in escrow.
According to Lord Belgrave, Ripple’s escrow system was deliberately designed years in advance with institutional use in mind, and more details may emerge soon as certain non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) begin to expire.
The Purpose Behind Ripple’s XRP Escrow
Lord Belgrave’s comments address how XRP’s supply is managed, why the escrow exists in its current form, and what role it may play as Ripple’s infrastructure develops. He argues that the escrow was never intended simply as a pool of tokens waiting for favorable market conditions. Instead, the locked XRP is governed by fixed release schedules and long-term planning, emphasizing predictability and control aligned with institutional readiness rather than short-term trading.
Although not publicly detailed, portions of the supply were reportedly viewed as reserved for future system deployments. Lord Belgrave claims these discussions occurred under strict NDAs with institutions across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia—including central banks, major financial institutions, multilateral bodies, the IMF, and the Bank for International Settlements.
Ripple introduced the escrow system in 2017 to bring transparency and discipline to XRP’s supply. With a total supply of 100 billion tokens, not all were in circulation at launch. Approximately 55 billion XRP was initially placed into on-ledger escrow contracts, with 1 billion scheduled for release each month. In practice, Ripple typically relocks 700–800 million XRP monthly, releasing only 200–300 million into circulation. This rules-based approach has become a key part of XRP’s tokenomics.
NDAs, Timing, and What May Follow
Lord Belgrave also suggested that institutional language has shifted following Ripple’s regulatory progress, indicating that long-standing NDAs may be approaching a disclosure phase. He believes systems are moving from preparation to active deployment, meaning previously reserved liquidity could become operational.
This interpretation prompted a response from another well-known XRP enthusiast, Vincent Van Code. He noted that while many NDAs exist, disclosure doesn’t happen automatically. Information is typically shared only when both parties formally agree to release specific confidential details.
From this viewpoint, NDAs protect Ripple’s partners from regulatory scrutiny until compliance checks, audits, and approvals are complete. Any future transparency would likely result from coordinated decisions, not simply from NDAs expiring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Ripples XRP Escrow designed to answer questions from beginners to more advanced users
Beginner Definition Questions
1 What is the XRP escrow in simple terms
Its a safety system where Ripple locked away a massive amount of its XRP tokens in secure digital vaults These vaults are programmed to release a small set amount of XRP each month preventing anyone from dumping a huge supply onto the market all at once
2 Why did Ripple create this escrow
To create predictability and build trust Before the escrow people worried that Ripple could suddenly sell its large XRP holdings crashing the price The escrow proves Ripple is committed to the ecosystems longterm health not shortterm price manipulation
3 How much XRP is in escrow
Originally 55 billion XRP was placed into escrow Thats over half of the total 100 billion XRP that were created
4 Is the escrow like a cryptocurrency wallet
Its a special type of wallet controlled by a smart contract not by a single person The contract automatically executesreleasing and relocking XRPbased on the code not human decisions
Mechanics Process Questions
5 How does the escrow release work each month
Every month for about 45 years 1 billion XRP is released from escrow Ripple uses what it needs for operations and then relocks the vast majority of the unused portion into new escrow contracts This cycle repeats
6 What happens to the XRP that isnt used each month
It doesnt go back into the original vault Instead its placed into a new escrow contract that will release in the future typically around 45 years later This creates a rolling predictable supply schedule far into the future
7 Can Ripple cancel or change the escrow
No The escrow is managed by the XRP Ledgers consensus protocol and is cryptographically secured Ripple cannot unilaterally alter stop or accelerate the releases This is a key part of its credibility