Ripple, the San Francisco-based crypto solutions company and cross-border payment firm, started 2025 with a significant escrow unlock of 500 million XRP tokens, valued at $1.07 billion at the time of execution. While such monthly unlocks are routine for Ripple, the latest transaction has captured the attention of the XRP and crypto community due to a cryptic memo accompanying the release.
According to market tracker Whale Alert, Ripple unlocked the tokens on 1 January 2025, at 06:57 UTC. The transaction originated from the “Ripple 25” wallet, increasing its balance to 1 billion XRP tokens. Shortly after, Ripple transferred the 500 million tokens to the “Ripple 13” wallet, where they were re-locked in escrow.
Interestingly, Ripple’s customary monthly release involves unlocking 1 billion XRP in two batches. At the time of writing, only the first batch has been executed, with the second expected in the coming days.
The mysterious message
What set this transaction apart was the mysterious message attached to the escrow release. The memo stated: “January 20th is around the corner, and President-elect Donald Trump will be in the White House. With Trump’s arrival, we are going to make crypto great again.”
The statement has fueled speculation among XRP community members and several crypto market participants, with many interpreting it as a sign of optimism for a bullish year for XRP and other cryptoassets in the U.S. The memo sits well with Trump’s pro-crypto stance, highlighted by key appointments in his administration that favour the crypto industry.
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Community reaction and context
The message accompanying Ripple’s escrow transaction has sparked excitement within the XRP community. Some believe it signals a turning point for XRP and the broader crypto market, especially under a government expected to adopt a more favourable stance on cryptocurrencies.
However, it is important to note that the memo was not authored by Ripple but by an XRP community member as stated in a related transaction memo. Over the years, similar messages have surfaced during major unlocks, such as in July 2024 and May 2024.
XRP price gains over 11%, reclaims 3rd-largest cryptocurrency spot
Following Ripple’s January unlock, XRP’s price surged by over 11% on Thursday, surpassing $2.40 per token. This rally is partly driven by significant XRP trading volumes recorded across major South Korean exchanges on Wednesday.
According to data from Coingecko, XRP trading volumes against Won on these platforms, including Korbit, UpBit and Bithumb, exceeded $800 million in dollar value, outpacing both Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Bithumb accounted for more than $200 million of the total, while UpBit handled over $600 million.
These developments have propelled XRP’s market capitalization above that of Tether (USDT), reclaiming its position as the third-largest cryptocurrency for the second time in the last one month. At the time of writing, XRP’s market cap is approximately $137.6 billion, compared to USDT’s market cap of $137.2 billion. The slight dip in USDT’s market cap may be attributed to its delisting from EU markets, due to concerns over its compliance with the recently enacted MiCA regulations.
Read also: Stablecoins in the European Market: MiCA, Tether, and Potential impacts on USDT
Ndianabasi Tom A Petroleum Engineering degree holder, Ndianabasi’s interest since 2018 has been studying the ever-growing field of blockchain and cryptocurrency, keenly evaluating the innovation, exploration, and expansion of this field locally and globally. The founder of Nitadel a media platform, Ndianabasi has been a Writer at Crypto Asset Buyer (CAB) since 2021. When he is not drilling resources in the blockchain and cryptocurrency field, Ndianabasi is singing, reading, watching crime movies, or playing football.
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