Ripple’s $626M XRP Drop Meets Its Match: RLUSD’s “Gas Bill” Keeps XRP Relevant

Ripple unlocked another 1 billion XRP tokens through its monthly escrow mechanism, according to blockchain tracker Whale Alert. The release occurred in two separate transfers, each valued at $626.43 million when recorded.

Ripple Senior Vice President of Stablecoins Jack McDonald said the stablecoin’s adoption is increasing demand for XRP within the XRP Ledger (XRPL). “Every single time we mint or use RLUSD on the XRP Ledger is positive for XRP,” McDonald said on the XRP vs. RLUSD. He added that “every mint, every movement, every deployment of RLUSD” on the network requires XRP as its gas token.

McDonald also said RLUSD is used more widely on the XRP Ledger than on other networks supporting the stablecoin, including Ethereum. Ripple’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) bank charter and Moody’s investment-grade rating for RLUSD have also attracted institutional interest.

Xaif Crypto highlighted McDonald’s comments on November 1, 2026, writing that RLUSD adoption does not come at the expense of XRP because every RLUSD transaction on the XRPL creates demand for XRP as the network’s native gas token.