XRP Ownership Unveiled: The Definitive 2025 Rich List

Are you curious about the major players holding significant amounts of XRP? In the dynamic world of cryptocurrency, understanding XRP ownership patterns is crucial. This comprehensive guide reveals the top holders of XRP in 2025, offering insights into market dynamics and potential influences. We delve into the prominent entities and individuals shaping the XRP ecosystem.

Ripple Labs XRP: Dominating the Supply

Ripple Labs remains the undisputed leader in XRP ownership. The company controls a substantial portion of the total supply. Specifically, Ripple Labs holds approximately 42% of the 100 billion XRP tokens. This position is logical, as Ripple developed the XRP Ledger and created the digital currency itself. The San Francisco-based firm manages its extensive holdings through two primary categories, demonstrating a strategic approach to its treasury:

• Liquid Holdings: Around 4.5 billion XRP are held for immediate operational use.
• Escrowed Funds: A massive 35 billion XRP are locked in a sophisticated escrow system.

Ripple employs an escrow release mechanism. This system unlocks a predictable amount of XRP each month. Typically, 1 billion XRP becomes available monthly via a smart contract on the XRP Ledger. This method aims to manage supply and promote price stability. These released funds support Ripple’s operational expenses. They also provide essential liquidity for its On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service. Furthermore, Ripple practices careful treasury management. The company does not flood markets with newly released XRP every month. Instead, 60% or more of monthly unlocked funds are often relocked. This occurs because the company does not require the full complement for its operational costs. For instance, if Ripple stopped relocking tokens, the entire 35-billion escrow would deplete in just three years. The current relocking pattern ensures Ripple will likely top the XRP rich list for many years. However, some crypto users express discomfort with such significant control. This 42% stake gives Ripple Labs considerable influence over market dynamics. It presents a double-edged sword, offering flexibility but raising valid concerns about decentralization and core crypto ethos.

Chris Larsen XRP: An Individual Billionaire’s Empire

It may not surprise many that Ripple co-founder and executive chairman, Chris Larsen, ranks as the largest individual XRP owner. His holdings exceed 2.5 billion XRP, valued at approximately $7 billion. Larsen strategically distributes his substantial assets across eight distinct crypto wallets. Blockchain explorers have tagged these wallets for public visibility. Of his eight wallets, numbers 1 through 4 collectively contain just over 500 million XRP. These specific wallets have never initiated any outbound transfers. He reportedly received these funds as a founder’s gift in 2013. However, wallet No. 5 showed selling activity during 2025. It reduced holdings from 500 million XRP to 280 million. In July 2025, Larsen made significant sell-offs, drawing considerable attention. Headlines reported $175 million worth of XRP transferred onto exchanges after July 17. These sales coincided with XRP reaching seven-year highs, surpassing $3. Despite these sales, Larsen’s total holdings represent 4.6% of the entire XRP market cap. This makes him not only one of the wealthiest XRP owners but also one of crypto’s richest individuals. Even as an individual, his remaining XRP quantity is sufficient to significantly influence market dynamics. As ZachXBT noted on X, “Wallets linked to Chris Larsen only have another 2.81B XRP ($8.4B) left!”

Exchange Powerhouses and the XRP Rich List

Billions of dollars in customer funds reside on exchange platforms. These funds are either actively traded or held for storage. Several of the world’s most popular exchanges feature prominently on the XRP rich list. Upbit, the prominent South Korean exchange, leads this category. It holds approximately 6 billion XRP in custody. This demonstrates incredibly strong Korean retail demand, alongside substantial institutional trading volume. Elsewhere, Binance secures the second position among exchanges. It holds over 2.7 billion XRP across its multiple custody wallets. Similarly, Uphold has steadily increased its position recently, accumulating nearly 2 billion XRP. Coinbase follows with 780 million XRP. Interestingly, Coinbase’s XRP holdings dropped substantially since Q2 2025. This reduction is likely a strategic repositioning rather than a sign of regulatory caution. Especially since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) case against Ripple Labs concluded in August 2025. This legal clarity gave XRP unprecedented judicial standing in the United States. Still, Coinbase slashed holdings by 57% in a single month, while competitors continued to expand their reserves. It is crucial to remember that exchange holdings primarily represent customer assets. They are not typically institutional trading positions. Therefore, understanding which exchanges hold large XRP amounts offers insight into retail ownership and demand, rather than solely institutional control.

XRP Whales Accumulate Record-Breaking Amounts in 2025

The year 2025 has been a watershed period for XRP. It transitioned from a crypto pariah, entangled in a five-year legal battle with the SEC, to an asset with clear legal standing. Momentum has been building significantly, with XRP whales actively accumulating. In June 2025, XRP hit another major milestone. Wallets holding more than 1 million XRP reached 2,708 addresses. This marks the highest level in XRP’s 12-year history. Each of these whale wallets contains over $2 million worth of XRP at 2025 prices. This trend reflects growing institutional confidence in the asset. Furthermore, the XRP Ledger’s daily active addresses climbed to 295,000 in June 2025. This activity spike indicates heightened interest from both retail and institutional participants. It represents a jump of nearly seven times the trailing three-month average of 35,000-40,000 active addresses. XRPScan provides public access to the rich list, showing Ripple’s top wallets holding 5 billion XRP in escrow. Beyond these, notable rich list wallets link to known global exchanges. Only two anonymous trader wallets secured positions within the top 20. The clear revelation from the XRP rich list 2025 is the highly concentrated ownership. Ripple Labs dominates nearly every metric, including Chris Larsen, whose stake totals over $8 billion in XRP holdings. This raises valid decentralization concerns. These concerns intensify when combined with record-breaking whale accumulation and growth in institutional wallets. Nevertheless, the legal clarity emerging from the protracted lawsuit fuels increased confidence among institutional investors. Exchanges, too, are accumulating funds at historic levels, with customer custody deposits swelling these numbers on the rich list. This metric suggests that token ownership remains of significant interest to retail investors, despite the ongoing concerns about concentration.