XRP Ledger Growth: $1 Million in Expired Escrows Reclaimed

In a surprising development, a significant amount of previously untouched funds has returned to the hands of XRP Ledger users. This comes after Adam, the founder of a decentralized exchange called First Ledger, conducted an extensive search of the network to locate unclaimed expired escrows that holders had unknowingly abandoned.

Key Takeaways

A decentralized exchange founder recovered $1 million worth of unclaimed escrow funds on the XRP Ledger.
The bulk of recovered funds, totaling 750,218 XRP, belonged to everyday community members.
Users must execute a specific transaction (EscrowFinish) to reclaim funds from expired escrows.
Recent activity surge indicates growing interest and participation in the XRP Ledger, with record transaction counts and automated market maker deposits.

XRP

Searching for Idle Funds on the XRP Ledger

Adam, who leads First Ledger—an exchange operating on the XRP Ledger—explored every aspect of the blockchain to find escrows that had long outlived their time conditions but had never been finalized. Reports indicate that a total of 750,218 XRP—valued at just over $1 million—was successfully reclaimed. First Ledger plans to conduct routine checks to identify eligible escrows as they become available, ensuring these funds don’t get lost again.

XRP Ledger validator Vet confirmed these findings, clarifying that most of the recovered funds belonged to everyday community members instead of large institutions. Over the years, several holders set time-bound conditions on their XRP and subsequently moved on, either forgetting about the funds or lacking the knowledge on how to recover them.

Escrow unlocks spiking on XRP.
Over $1,000,000 or 750,218 XRP total in escrows just got unlocked.
Many of these escrows were created by holders and community members; their time locks expired, but they forgot or didn’t know how to unlock and receive their XRP back. @xrpl_adam… pic.twitter.com/eSdMQmlSFM
— Vet (@Vet_X0) March 20, 2026

Escrow Status

It is important to understand that the escrow system on the XRP Ledger does not automatically release funds once a time lock expires. If a recipient wishes to reclaim their money, they must execute a specific transaction known as an EscrowFinish. If they miss this window, a different deadline comes into effect. Once that second deadline lapses without action, the escrow fully expires and cannot be claimed anymore. At this point, only a cancellation transaction can return the XRP to its original sender. In some cases, if no expiration date was set, the funds can remain locked indefinitely.

XRP Price Chart
XRP currently valued at $1.39. Source: TradingView

Increased Transactions Point to Growth in Network Usage

The reclaimed funds represent only a fraction of a more extensive surge in activity on the XRP Ledger. Recent data reveals that deposits into automated market makers reached an all-time high of 70,735 on February 28. Additionally, transactions categorized as AccountSet—used for updating account settings without transferring any funds—spiked to 114,690 on March 20, marking the highest single-day count in the network’s history.

On March 18, there was also a notable increase in error messages linked to users lacking sufficient XRP reserves, which surpassed 370,000—the highest figure in three years. This signifies that new users are attempting to make offers but are facing challenges because they do not meet the minimum balance requirements, indicating an influx of newcomers to the network.

Featured image from Vecteezy, chart from TradingView