Categories: Ripple

Ripple Doesn’t Directly Control Its 38B XRP—Developer Sets the Record Straight

Ripple’s clarification on its lack of direct control over escrowed XRP boosts investor confidence and transparency.
XRP’s long-term price potential remains strong, though short-term volatility persists amid market and regulatory uncertainty.

Ripple does not directly manage the 38 billion XRP locked in escrow. Instead, these tokens are held by the XRP Ledger’s decentralized smart contracts—not the company itself—as clarified by Mayukha Vadari, a senior software engineer at RippleX.

Yet, as the tokens are governed by time-bound rules embedded in the ledger, Ripple cannot access or move them at will—even if a court directive demands it. As explained by Vadari:

Technically (and legally), the escrow funds are temporarily being held by the network, not Ripple. Yes, those funds will ultimately go back to Ripple, but for the time being, there’s nothing Ripple can do to access those funds (or do anything with them) before the unlock time.

Here in this post, we will further talk about how XRP price is governed by a number of factors including Ripple‘s token releases, market sentiment, regulation, and technical patterns. What follows is a price analysis of XRP based on Ripple‘s partial control of the 38 billion XRP in escrow.

Impact of Ripple’s Lack of Direct Control

Positive side: Ripple clarifying that it doesn’t control the XRP Ledger or the escrowed XRP helps ease fears about centralization. That kind of clarity builds trust among investors. This system also keeps token releases steady, avoiding surprise dumps that could hurt the price.

Neutral to negative side: Still, Ripple’s large stash of XRP—38 billion in escrow—worries some. Even without direct control, past releases (like the 1 billion XRP unlock in early 2024) have triggered fears of big sell-offs and short-term price drops.

Price Predictions for 2025–2030

According to a recent CNF report, analysts project XRP’s price could soar to $157 by 2040 if its market cap hits 40% of gold’s $23.185 trillion valuation. Based on Investing Haven’s 2025 prediction, forecasts range from $1.61 to $15, with an average target of $5.92.

Some others bullish scenarios (e.g., SEC case resolution, ETF approval) could push XRP to $3.50–$8. In contrast, bearish scenarios (e.g., an SEC appeal loss, broad market correction) suggest a potential drop to $1.18–$1.60.

Looking ahead to 2026–2030, if the current pattern stays as it is, long-term predictions remain optimistic—with targets of $9–$27—assuming increased institutional adoption and Ripple’s integration of stablecoins like USDC (possibly via a Circle acquisition). However, these projections depend heavily on sustained market bullishness and regulatory clarity.

Meanwhile, XRP is currently trading at $2.09 USD, reflecting a 4.41% drop over the past day and 3.1% over the past week. Have closer look at the XRP price chart below: