Who Owns The Most XRP In 2025? The Rich List Revealed

Slava Jefremov
1 hour ago
5 min read

Key Takeaways

Ripple Labs controls 42% of XRP’s supply (4.5B liquid + 35B escrow).
Chris Larsen, Ripple’s co-founder, owns 2.5B XRP worth $7B, making him the richest individual XRP holder.
Korean exchange Upbit leads exchanges with 6B XRP in custody, followed by Binance (2.7B), Uphold (~2B), and Coinbase (780M).
Just 100 wallets hold 68% of XRP’s supply, one of the most concentrated distributions in crypto.
Whale wallets holding 1M+ XRP hit 2,708 addresses in June 2025, reflecting institutional interest.
Daily active addresses spiked to 295,000 in June 2025, a 7x increase over the average.
The SEC lawsuit dismissal in August 2025 gave XRP new legal clarity in the U.S., fueling fresh accumulation.

Introduction

The cryptocurrency market thrives on decentralization, yet many top digital assets remain heavily concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, companies, and exchanges. XRP, the native currency of the XRP Ledger, is no exception. Since its inception, XRP has been at the center of debates around centralization, institutional adoption, and its legal standing in the U.S. financial system.

With Ripple Labs at the helm of its creation, and high-profile figures such as Chris Larsen holding billions of tokens, the XRP “rich list” reveals just how concentrated ownership really is. This article explores the largest holders of XRP as of 2025, breaking down corporate holdings, individual fortunes, exchange custody wallets, and whale accumulation trends that shape XRP’s supply and demand dynamics.

Ripple Labs: The Corporate Giant Behind XRP

Ripple Labs is by far the largest XRP owner, holding control over around 42% of the total 100 billion XRP supply. This dominance is hardly surprising since Ripple created the XRP Ledger and the digital currency itself.

The company’s holdings are divided into two key categories:

4.5 billion XRP in liquid holdings for operational purposes
35 billion XRP locked in escrow

Ripple manages this stash through a predictable escrow release system, where 1 billion XRP is unlocked per month using a smart contract on the XRP Ledger. This system ensures supply management and price stability while funding Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) Service and operational expenses.

Importantly, Ripple does not dump all unlocked XRP onto the market. Instead, 60% or more of these monthly releases are relocked, preventing oversupply and maintaining market confidence.

If Ripple were to stop relocking tokens, however, its 35-billion escrow stash would be depleted in just three years. With the current strategy, Ripple is set to remain the top name on the XRP rich list for years to come.

For many crypto enthusiasts, Ripple’s 42% control of supply raises concerns about centralization, giving the company disproportionate influence over XRP’s price and distribution. This duality—between stability and centralization—remains a defining characteristic of XRP.

Chris Larsen: The Billionaire XRP Mogul

Ripple co-founder and executive chairman Chris Larsen is the largest individual XRP holder. He controls over 2.5 billion XRP, valued at around $7 billion.

His holdings are spread across eight distinct wallets identified by blockchain explorers.

Among these:

Wallets No. 1–4 each contain just over 500 million XRP and have never made outbound transfers since Larsen received them as a founder’s gift in 2013.
Wallet No. 5 has seen active sales in 2025, dropping from 500 million XRP to 280 million.

In July 2025, Larsen made headlines after moving $175 million worth of XRP to exchanges following the token’s seven-year price high above $3. Despite these sell-offs, his overall holdings still represent 4.6% of the total XRP market cap, making him one of the richest individuals in crypto.

Even at an individual level, Larsen holds enough XRP to influence market dynamics significantly.

As blockchain investigator ZachXBT noted on X:

“Wallets linked to Chris Larsen only have another 2.81B XRP ($8.4B) left!”

Exchange Powerhouses: Billions in Custody

Exchanges play a pivotal role in the XRP ecosystem, holding billions of dollars in customer assets for both trading and storage. As of 2025, several major platforms dominate the XRP rich list:

Upbit (Korea) – ~6 billion XRP, cementing its lead and reflecting the strength of Korean retail demand and institutional trading.
Binance – Over 2.7 billion XRP across multiple custody wallets.
Uphold – Nearly 2 billion XRP, showing strong recent accumulation.
Coinbase – 780 million XRP, though its holdings dropped 57% in a single month since Q2 2025.

Coinbase’s reduction likely reflects strategic repositioning rather than regulatory concerns, especially after the U.S. SEC dropped its lawsuit against Ripple Labs in August 2025, granting XRP unprecedented legal clarity in the U.S.

It’s important to note that most exchange-held XRP represents customer assets, not institutional positions. Thus, exchange balances provide insight into retail adoption rather than direct corporate control.

Whale Accumulation: Record-Breaking in 2025

The year 2025 has marked a turning point for XRP. With legal clarity secured after years of battling the SEC, whales have been accumulating XRP at record levels.

In June 2025, the number of wallets holding over 1 million XRP rose to 2,708 addresses, the highest in XRP’s 12-year history. At current prices, each of these wallets contains over $2 million worth of XRP.

Institutional confidence is evident, with XRP Ledger daily active addresses climbing to 295,000 in June 2025, a sevenfold increase from the three-month average of 35,000–40,000.

According to XRPScan, Ripple still dominates the leaderboard, with escrow-linked wallets holding 5 billion XRP. Outside Ripple, the top 20 wallets include mostly exchange custody addresses, with only two anonymous traders securing positions among them.

Top 20 Accounts by XRP Balance

The XRP rich list of 2025 highlights a reality of highly concentrated ownership. Ripple Labs dominates at every level, with Chris Larsen’s personal stake exceeding $8 billion. Whales and institutions continue building their positions, while exchanges serve as custodians of massive retail holdings.

While such concentration raises questions about decentralization, the broader takeaway is that XRP’s legal clarity and growing institutional adoption are fueling confidence. Whether this leads to sustainable growth or heightened risks remains to be seen.

Conclusion

The XRP rich list is a story of centralization, institutional adoption, and shifting power dynamics. Ripple Labs continues to dominate with its massive escrow reserves, while Chris Larsen’s personal holdings cement his place among crypto’s wealthiest individuals. Exchanges hold billions in custody on behalf of customers, and whales are actively accumulating, signaling confidence in XRP’s future.

Yet, the high concentration of ownership also raises valid concerns. With just 100 wallets controlling most of the supply, questions around decentralization and fair distribution remain pressing. Whether XRP’s next chapter leans toward broader distribution or continued centralization will be crucial in shaping its role within the global financial system.

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