XRP (XRP), the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger (XRPL), has been touted by proponents as a high-speed, low-cost solution for cross-border payments. But just how much value flows through the network on a daily basis? Let’s examine.
XRP volumes have risen since Trump’s reelection
Based on recent data from Glassnode, XRP’s daily transfer volume settled on its blockchain in US dollars frequently ranges between $300 million and $1 billion.
However, since November 2024, when Donald Trump won the US presidential election, XRP has settled an average of $2.28 billion per day, signifying heightened network activity likely fueled by XRP’s price boom in the same period.
XRP total transfer volume. Source: Glassnode
That said, these spikes don’t necessarily reflect steady adoption or payment activity; instead, they could further be tied to speculative behavior, Ripple-related transfers, whale moves, and reshuffling between exchanges.
Ripple is behind many big XRP transfers
One important factor behind the spikes in XRP’s daily transfer volume is large token sales by Ripple and its co-founder, Chris Larsen.
Chris Larsen’s XRP sales (2024–2025):
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) September 16, 2024
These sales reduced XRP reserves on one of his wallets from 500 million to 410 million XRP.
Previously, the SEC estimated Larsen sold ~$453.69 million worth of XRP between 2017 and 2020.
The 2024–2025 sales stand out for their scale and timing during XRP’s rally past $3.
Ripple’s XRP escrow sales (2017–2025):
Ripple started selling XRP from escrow in 2017, releasing up to 1 billion XRP/month, often returning unsold tokens.
It sold $91.6 million during the cryptocurrency’s 30,000% rally in Q4 2017
In Q3 2018, Ripple sold $163 million during volatile markets.
In Q2 2019, the firm sold $251 million in XRP, one of its largest sales.
Sales dropped to $1.75M in Q1 2020, likely due to regulatory pressure from the SEC.
Across 2021, around $1.5B were sold, per Ripple’s reports.
This suggests that Ripple tends to ramp up sales during bullish periods and scale back during XRP price downtrends.
Related: Ripple ‘should act in its own interest’ when selling XRP — Ripple CTO
In 2017, Ripple locked 55 billion XRP—the majority of the total supply—into a series of escrow contracts. Each contract held 1 billion XRP, set to be released monthly over 55 months.
However, any unused portion is returned to escrow, with a new contract pushed to the back of the queue, i.e., re-locked for 55 months.
During active sale periods, these movements could result in noticeable spikes in total transfer volume, especially when paired with high speculative interest.
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) April 2, 2025
Bitcoin and Ethereum outperform XRP overall
Bitcoin and Ethereum continue to dominate XRP in terms of daily transfer volume, highlighting broader adoption and greater trust in these ecosystems.
The overall average daily transfer volume for Bitcoin across the full data set is approximately $23.26 billion, according to Glassnode.
Bitcoin total transfer volume. Source: Glassnode
In recent years, the network has settled an average of $64.03 billion per day over the past 30 days, likely due to strong institutional flows, ETF-driven activity, and speculative trading.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s overall daily transfer volume is approximately $2.53 billion. But its recent 30-day average of the same comes to be at around $5.67 billion.
Ethereum total transfer volume. Source: Glassnode
Total transfer volume reflects real-life usage
Transfer volume is a key onchain metric, showing how much real value is settled daily via blockchain. High volumes, especially when sustained, indicate greater user activity in moving money onchain.
Bitcoin and Ethereum see consistent activity from custodians, ETFs, and DeFi apps.
In XRP’s case, however, usage appears concentrated around trading cycles. Despite Ripple’s efforts to promote XRP in cross-border settlements via On-Demand Liquidity (ODL), onchain volumes suggest limited adoption among enterprise users.
However, XRPL has recently introduced tools for stablecoin issuance, tokenization, and EVM compatibility.
Related: Redemption arcs of 2024: Ripple’s victory, memecoins’ rise, RWA growth
In Q4 2024, for instance, the ledger’s Automated Market Maker (AMM) volume increased by 3,100%, reflecting exponential growth in usage.
XRP Ledger Key Metrics as of Dec. 31, 2024. Source: Messari
However, these innovations have yet to generate volume levels comparable to Ethereum and Bitcoin.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
