Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said, “Nobody is in a position to manipulate XRP prices,” noting that XRP’s price moves with the broader crypto market rather than under the control of any single actor. He added that XRP’s high correlation with major digital assets mirrors overall market behavior and stressed that Ripple has no more control over XRP’s price than Bitcoin whales have over BTC. He emphasized that XRP trades in billions of dollars daily, making manipulation by a single entity implausible.
During the recent sell-off, Garlinghouse explained how institutional participation shapes XRP dynamics. Large institutional purchases may involve lockup agreements that prevent sudden sell-offs and are tied to market volume. Institutions buy XRP at market prices, not through special discounts, indicating liquidity is driven by broad market demand rather than targeted deals.
Regarding Ripple’s own holdings, Garlinghouse reaffirmed that most XRP is placed in escrow to limit access or sale. Ripple’s escrow holds 34.4 billion XRP, with 5.095 billion XRP in spendable wallets. The company releases 1 billion XRP from escrow each month but retains about 200 million tokens, sending the rest back to escrow to maintain balance.
Price action around these statements shows XRP briefly slipping to around $1.77, its lowest level this month, before rebounding to about $1.86. The token has fallen roughly 8% over the past week and 13% over the past month, highlighting ongoing volatility despite the escrow framework. The CEO’s comments and the escrow mechanism are presented as evidence that Ripple is aligned with XRP’s long-term health rather than pursuing short-term price manipulation.
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