Many traders still see XRP as a plentiful altcoin, but the reality is far different. Behind the daily price swings, a significant share of the token is either locked in escrow, held by early insiders, or already secured in institutional cold storage.
Each new wave of demand tightens the market even further, leaving far less XRP truly available than headline numbers suggest. Market analyst 24HOURSCRYPTO recently drew attention to this growing scarcity, sparking renewed debate across the crypto community without disclosing the full depth of the figures.
People don’t realize how little XRP is left.
Ripple escrow: 37.3B XRP (37.3%)
Ripple liquid: 3.5B (3.5%)
Chris Larsen: 2.3B (2.3%)
Arthur Britto: 1.3B (1.3%)That’s nearly 44.4% of supply already accounted for…
..and then you have look at institutions.
Purpose ETF already… pic.twitter.com/ExyK7OUEAa
— 𝟸𝟺𝙷𝚁𝚂𝙲𝚁𝚈𝙿𝚃𝙾 (@24hrscrypto1) September 22, 2025
A Supply That Isn’t as Large as It Appears
On-chain data shows XRP’s circulating supply is 59.77 billion tokens, yet more than 35 billion XRP remains locked in Ripple’s monthly escrow program. Those tokens are released gradually and cannot flood the market at once, which means the pool of freely tradable XRP is much smaller than many investors assume.
Institutions Are Quietly Absorbing Millions
Institutional interest is already removing sizable amounts of XRP from circulation. Canada’s Purpose Investments XRP ETF holds about 29.6 million XRP, while public filings show that 3iQ controls roughly 45 million XRP. These holdings are kept in long-term custodial accounts, effectively removing them from the day-to-day trading supply.
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Founders’ Holdings Add to the Tightness
Ripple’s founders continue to hold significant stakes. Wallets linked to co-founder Chris Larsen alone contain approximately 2.8 billion XRP, and other early insiders also hold substantial allocations. Combined with Ripple’s escrow and institutional reserves, these holdings concentrate a significant portion of the network’s total supply in a few hands.
Why This Scarcity Matters
As global banks, asset managers, or large custodians step in, they could lock away hundreds of millions—if not billions—of additional tokens. Each large purchase reduces the available supply of tokens in the market, increasing the impact of new demand on price.
The Takeaway
Drawing on 24HOURSCRYPTO’s initial observations, blockchain data, and verified fund disclosures, the evidence is clear: XRP’s headline supply overstates what is truly available. With much of the token already locked or spoken for, the next wave of institutional adoption could remove billions more XRP from open circulation almost overnight, creating a far leaner market than most traders anticipate.
Disclaimer: This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are urged to do in-depth research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses.
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