Ripple has released one billion XRP from escrow in a move that has triggered discussions across the cryptocurrency market. This development comes after a noticeable shift in the company’s typical XRP release pattern, which has been consistent since 2017.
Ripple Unlocks 1 Billion XRP in Three Large Transactions
According to the blockchain data service Whale Alert, Ripple unlocked one billion XRP in three separate transactions on May 3, 2025.The transaction amounted to 500 million, 300 million, and 200 million XRP.According to XRP’s trading price at the time, these transfers amounted to more than $2.2 billion.
Source: WhaleAlert
The release came two days later than the usual monthly schedule. Historically, Ripple has unlocked one billion XRP on the first day of each month. Whale Alert shared the details of each transaction through its social media platform, confirming that the movements originated from Ripple’s escrow wallet.
Ripple started its monthly escrow routine in 2017. This system was designed by the company, to guarantee a constant and predictable supply of XRP, in order to facilitate market liquidity. Originally Ripple was going to put 55 billion XRP into escrow with one billion released each month for 55 months.
Changes to the XRP Release Strategy
This month’s release occurred after Ripple locked 700 million XRP into escrow on May 2. This is the third consecutive month Ripple has made such a move before its standard release. A similar sequence happened in April and March, which may suggest a shift in strategy.
Traditionally, around 700 million XRP gets relocked after every release, and we are seeing no change in that pattern. However, a new detail in this case is that the lock is executed before the release, not after. As a result, Ripple’s current approach to managing liquidity and the XRP distribution have become a matter of question.
However, Ripple has yet to issue an official statement to explain the reason for changing the timing. Meanwhile, some market participants speculate that this new pattern may be a result of recent market dynamics, or internal policy changes. The company, however, has not confirmed any of this at this point.
XRP Price Performance Amid Ripple Unlock
As of early May, XRP price is trading between $1.96 and $2.50. Analysts have noted that the asset is currently undergoing a consolidation phase. According to chart readers, XRP price has been holding above key support zones, including the 0.5 Fibonacci retracement and historical resistance at around $1.80.
Crypto analysts Casitrades has shared her technical outlook. She stated, “We’re seeing a possible back-test of the $2.25 level, and a move to $1.90 remains in play.” According to the analyst, the current RSI shows exhaustion, suggesting a potential short-term dip before a bounce higher.”
While the overall sentiment remains neutral in the short term, several long-term traders continue to watch the $2.25 resistance closely. If XRP can hold above that level, higher price targets such as $2.68 and $3.00 remain on their radar.
Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill that aimed to let Arizona invest retirement funds in crypto assets like Bitcoin. The Senate Bill 1025 proposed adding virtual currency to the portfolio of the Arizona State Retirement System.
Hobbs rejected the policy earlier today, saying it puts “untested assets” into a program known for stable results.
In a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, Hobbs said the state’s retirement system is one of the strongest in the country. She argued that crypto remains too risky and that retirement funds should not be used to test new markets.
Bitcoin Reserve Blocked as Governor Weighs Investment Risks
Senate Bill 1025 was one of the first efforts in the US to bring digital assets into public pension programs. Lawmakers in Arizona framed the bill as a forward-looking step, and they believed crypto could help diversify investment returns.
However, Governor Hobbs disagreed. She said the fund’s current strength comes from careful planning and tested investments. And so her decision now blocks any crypto exposure in the state’s pension accounts.
Public Investment Continues to Remain Out of Crypto’s Reach
Supporters of the bill have been arguing that adding Bitcoin and other digital assets could future-proof public funds. However, the opponents opine that the bill lacked proper risk models and oversight. The veto gives momentum to the cautious approach adopted by several state governments to manage public funds.
The bill would have led Arizona in public adoption of crypto assets, but that path now seems uncertain. Crypto assets will stay out of state-backed retirement portfolios unless lawmakers revise the proposal or rally enough votes to override the veto.
Arizona’s Crypto Bill Had Earlier Gained National Attention
Just days before the veto, Arizona lawmakers passed two bills that would have allowed the state to invest up to 10 percent of public funds in Bitcoin. Senate Bill 1025 and its counterpart, SB1373, passed both chambers and placed Arizona ahead of other states weighing similar moves.
Some supporters saw the bill as a strategic way to hedge public funds against inflation. The veto now closes the door on what could have been the first state-level Bitcoin reserve in the country.
The pending bill, SB1373, would allow the state to reserve up to 10% of Arizona’s rainy-day funds in digital assets like Bitcoin. This bill is yet to reach a final vote. Several other US states like Oklahoma, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming have also been pursuing similar efforts, but to no avail as yet.
The state of security across the crypto and blockchain space has changed significantly in the past few months. Traditional smart contracts exploited or brute force attacks on blockchain networks are being superseded by crypto scams like rug pulls and pump-and-dump schemes.
BeInCrypto spoke with a spokesperson from security firm CertiK to understand how blockchain and security threats are evolving and how projects and users can safeguard against future exploits.
Social Media Hacks on the Rise
Over the past few months, the crypto community has seen a rise in social media-related hacks. This increasingly common tendency has pivoted away from the orchestration of more sophisticated blockchain attacks that have traditionally plagued headlines.
Whereas smart contract exploits or blockchain hacks require more knowledge, hackers have found an easier avenue by targeting social media accounts instead.
X (formerly Twitter) has quickly become the social media platform of choice among Web3 hackers.
Social Media is Now a Prime Target for Web3 Hackers
After US President Donald Trump launched his meme coin only two days before assuming office, hackers began to take advantage of the hype to hack high-profile X accounts and convince followers to invest in scam meme coins.
Last month, anonymous hackers took over the X account of the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to promote MALAYSIA, a fake meme coin promoted as the country’s official cryptocurrency.
The post was removed within an hour, but the damage was done. Analysis shows that these hackers were probably related to the infamous Russian Evil Corp and that they stole $1.7 million in this rug pull.
The MALAYSIA token scam happened only two weeks after hackers exploited former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s social media account. In that instance, scammers promoted the BRAZIL token, which rose over 10,000% in minutes, netting the scammers over $1.3 million.
These scams have also affected technological companies.
Attacks on Tech Companies
In December, AI research and development company Anthropic also saw its X account hacked. A fraudulent post claimed that a fake token called CLAUDE would incentivize AI and crypto projects and included a wallet address for investors.
Attackers managed to collect around $100,000 from speculative investors.
These situations also highlight a broader issue of weak account security on social media platforms. As a result, even prominent individuals are susceptible to security breaches that directly affect the crypto community.
TRUMP Meme Coin Launch Was a Catalyst For Crypto Scams
“Now is the time to talk about the fact that large-scale political coins cross a further line: they are not just sources of fun, whose harm is at most contained to mistakes made by voluntary participants, they are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states,” Buterin claimed.
Buterin highlighted the tokens’ role in enabling scams and political corruption in crypto and blamed a regulatory loophole former SEC Chair Gary Gensler created for allowing bad actors to exploit governance tokens.
However, these crypto scams extend beyond political themes.
Growth of Social Engineering Exploits
A week after Buterin cautioned against political meme coins, a Coinbase user lost $11.5 million after falling victim to a social engineering scam on Base.
Crypto sleuth ZackXBT uncovered the exploit, pointing out that this incident is part of a growing trend, with multiple Coinbase users suffering similar losses. He also estimates that crypto scams of this nature have drained at least $150 million from Coinbase customers.
“Coinbase has a serious fraud problem. I just uncovered many more recent thefts from Coinbase users. The $150 million stolen from Coinbase users in a year is just from thefts I independently confirmed. So it’s more than likely multiples of this number,” ZachXBT stated.
In social engineering scams, attackers use phishing emails, spoofed calls, and other deceptive tactics to trick victims into revealing private keys or login credentials. Once they gain access, they drain wallets, move funds, and take control of accounts.
For CertiK, these situations stipulate the need for stronger security measures.
Addressing these security challenges is crucial as new crypto projects increase exponentially.
Prioritizing Proactive Security in a Rapidly Growing Industry
The Web3 sector is experiencing consistent growth, marked by a surge in new crypto project launches. This innovative momentum is expected to continue, but it’s also fueling security concerns.
Notably, the increasing rate of scams and hacks in the first three months of 2025 makes it clear that security efforts are struggling to keep up with innovation.
A study by Precedence Research estimates the Web 3.0 market will expand from USD 4.62 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 99.75 billion by 2034, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.18% during that period.
Predicted market size of Web3 in the next ten years. Source: Precedence Research.
Yet, CertiK believes that project developers are pushing security considerations toward the end of the priority list.
As the Web3 ecosystem evolves, a proactive and adaptive security approach is critical. Prioritizing both blockchain integrity and social media vigilance will be essential for safeguarding the growing Web3 ecosystem.
The battle against these exploits requires a future where security is not an afterthought but a foundational pillar of every Web3 project and user interaction.
