Ripple’s native cryptocurrency, XRP, has experienced significant price growth in recent months, surpassing many other major cryptocurrencies in market capitalization. Currently ranked as the third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, XRP’s upward trend suggests that it may maintain its position for an extended period.
As of January 25, 2025, XRP has a total token supply of 100 billion, with approximately 57.64 billion tokens in circulation. A notable portion of this circulating supply is concentrated among a select few wallets, with the top 10 addresses holding around 20.99% of the supply, and the top 50 addresses controlling about 53.3%. This concentration raises questions about wealth distribution within the ecosystem and who stands to benefit the most from the ongoing price surge.
Analysis of Top 20 Wallets and Their Control Over XRP Supply
The largest XRP holdings are predominantly associated with Ripple Labs, its founders, and major cryptocurrency exchanges. Data from Coincarp reveals that out of 4,840,747 addresses, the top 20 holders account for 50.31% of the circulating supply, while the top 50 and top 100 holders hold 63.74% and 71.76%, respectively.
Ripple Labs currently possesses roughly 46 billion XRP tokens, with a significant portion locked in escrow. These tokens are released in predetermined amounts periodically, limiting Ripple’s access to the escrowed funds. Despite these restrictions, Ripple Labs still holds a substantial amount of liquid XRP. Information from blockchain explorer Bithomp indicates that one of Ripple’s wallets contains over 1.3 billion XRP.
Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen is the largest individual XRP holder, with over 5 billion tokens, establishing him as one of the wealthiest figures in the ecosystem. Major exchanges such as Binance and Uphold also maintain significant XRP reserves. For instance, Binance’s wallet holds over 1.3 billion XRP, equivalent to approximately 1.33% of the circulating supply. South Korean exchange Upbit holds around 4.38% of the total supply, alongside other exchanges.
Understanding Holding Distribution and Potential Concerns
The substantial holdings by exchanges and Ripple-related entities depict an XRP ecosystem where a relatively small group of stakeholders holds significant influence. However, these large holdings are not concentrated in the hands of any individual or entity that could manipulate prices for personal gain.
Moreover, the assets held by exchanges represent aggregated funds from numerous individual users, mitigating any abnormal risks to XRP’s price dynamics. At the time of writing, XRP is valued at $3.10, after recently reaching a seven-year high of $3.38.
