Ripple Labs Slams Vault Shut: 700M XRP Locked in Escrow as Markets Twitch

Ripple’s latest escrow maneuver throws cold water on circulating supply—again. The 700-million-XRP lockdown (worth roughly $350M at press time) triggers predictable market jitters, proving crypto’s Pavlovian response to artificial scarcity plays.

Price action wobbles as traders digest the news. XRP’s 24-hour chart shows a 2.3% dip post-announcement—because nothing says ’decentralized’ like scheduled supply shocks from a single entity. The move follows Ripple’s quarterly ritual of escrow gymnastics, this time executed with Swiss-watch precision right before Q2 earnings season.

Meanwhile, crypto bros argue whether this counts as ’sound tokenomics’ or ’glorified stock buybacks for the blockchain age.’ Either way, it’s another day in the casino where the house always controls the faucet.