Ripple just pulled a surprise move on July 4th, dropping another 500 million XRP tokens after already releasing 500 million on July 1st. This two-part release caught everyone off guard since Ripple usually dumps the full billion XRP in one go each month.
XRP (Ripple) Breaks Monthly Release Pattern
Instead of the usual billion-token bomb, Ripple split July's release into two equal chunks. Whale Alert spotted the second transfer, and XRPwallets confirmed it was legit. The July cycle officially wrapped up with one billion XRP unlocked total, but only 700 million got locked back up. That leaves 300 million XRP floating around for actual use.

These 300 million tokens aren't just sitting there doing nothing. Ripple's putting them to work in on-demand liquidity services, exchange-traded products, and building out more infrastructure. It's all part of making XRP more useful in real-world financial stuff.
XRP (Ripple) Management Gets More Strategic
Since March, Ripple's been ditching the old playbook. Before, they'd unlock a billion XRP like clockwork, then immediately lock most of it back up. Now they're being way more flexible, timing releases based on what's actually happening in the market rather than just following a calendar.
The escrow system still runs on smart contracts, but Ripple's using it more strategically. They're watching market demand and adjusting their moves accordingly. It's less predictable but probably smarter from a business standpoint.
XRP (Ripple) Treasury Strategy Evolves
Right now, Ripple's sitting on about 36.4 billion XRP in escrow and roughly 5 billion XRP ready to use. That's a massive war chest, and they're getting pickier about how they deploy it. Instead of just releasing tokens because the calendar says so, they're thinking about timing and market conditions.
For traders keeping score, this means Ripple's moves are going to be harder to predict going forward. The company seems to be growing up, focusing more on strategic plays rather than just following a rigid schedule. July's unlock still happened - it just didn't go down the way anyone expected.