XRP Burn Rate Hits Record High: Here’s How Many Coins Are Gone Forever in 2026

XRP's supply just got tighter—permanently.

The burn mechanism, a core feature of the XRP Ledger, continues its silent purge of tokens from circulation. Every transaction destroys a microscopic fraction of XRP, a deflationary design that chips away at the total supply over time.

Tracking the Vanishing Act

While the burn rate per transaction is minimal, the cumulative effect across billions of operations adds up. The ledger's transparent nature allows anyone to audit the ever-shrinking supply figure in real-time. It's a slow burn, not a bonfire—but in the world of digital scarcity, every token removed counts.

The Scarcity Equation

Proponents argue this perpetual burn introduces a hard-coded deflationary pressure, a contrast to traditional fiat systems where central banks can print at will. Critics call it a rounding error on a massive supply, a psychological feature more than an economic one. After all, burning a drop in the ocean doesn't make it less wet—unless you're a trader betting on narrative over napkin math.

One less token in circulation means one more data point for the 'digital gold' thesis. The market will decide if scarcity alone justifies value, or if utility must finally catch up to the hype.

XRP Burns: Millions Are Gone Forever

XRP does not rely on a discretionary burn program or periodic token destruction events. Instead, the XRP Ledger permanently destroys a small amount of the token every time a transaction is processed. This fee is not paid to validators or any network participant. Once it is consumed by the protocol, it is removed from circulation permanently.

According to numbers shared on X by 24HRSCRYPTO, the total supply stood at 99,988,313,728 about 806 days ago. Today, that number is closer to 99,985,726,061. The difference is 2,587,667 XRP that no longer exist, meaning a little over 3,200 of the altcoin is destroyed per day.

That number may not look dramatic compared to its nearly 100 billion maximum supply. However, it shows consistent on-ledger usage leading to a steady reduction in supply. This has led to the cumulative amount of the token burned slowly moving higher over the full lifetime of the Ledger.

Pre-Mined, How Institutions Fit Into The Design

The post by 24HRSCRYPTO also revisits a long-standing aspect of XRP’s structure. The token’s entire supply of 100 billion tokens was created at inception, although not all were released at launch.

Furthermore, its supply has always been fixed, and burns will continue to reduce the total number of the token in existence. This is in contrast to networks like Ethereum, Dogecoin, and solana that see their total circulating supply increase over time.

Furthermore, Ripple, which developed the Ledger, has consistently framed the altcoin from a payments and financial infrastructure perspective. This trend is also unlike most other cryptocurrencies, which are built to work in parallel against traditional finance.

24HRSCRYPTO notes that this design reflects an institutional mindset, noting that supply certainty is something banks and large financial players tend to prefer. When trillions start to Flow into the altcoin, the circulating supply will continue to decrease. According to the analyst, $100 per XRP is inevitable in this case. This viewpoint is based on the fact that higher price targets for the token are not speculations but a functional requirement for global-scale usage.