XRP News Today: 1B Token Unlock, New Privacy Feature, and More

In XRP (XRP) news today, Ripple entered April with a stacked mix of catalysts, including a possible 1 billion XRP escrow unlock, fresh institutional expansion via Ripple Prime, a new XRPL privacy proposal, and growing optimism that shifting US retirement rules could eventually widen crypto access.

Let’s examine these events in detail.

US Labor Department’s 401(k) Proposal Could Eventually Support XRP Exposure

The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a rule that would make it easier for 401(k) plans to offer alternative investments, including crypto, by giving fiduciaries a clearer framework for evaluating such assets.

The rule would not automatically add crypto to retirement plans, but it could widen the path for digital assets to enter the roughly $8.8 trillion U.S. 401(k) market.

For XRP, the takeaway is indirect but notable: if the rule is adopted and plan managers become more comfortable offering crypto exposure, assets beyond Bitcoin could also benefit over time, including XRP-linked products where available.

Ripple Prime to Support Oil, Gold Perps Markets

Ripple Prime has expanded its Hyperliquid integration to support HIP-3 symbols, giving institutional clients access to onchain perpetual markets tied to traditional assets such as gold, silver, and oil.

Big news for institutions trading on @Ripple Prime – we’ve extended our @HyperliquidX integration to include HIP-3 symbols, allowing for institutional-grade access to onchain perps on traditional assets like GOLD, SILVER, and OIL.

TradFi exposure. DeFi infrastructure. One…

— Mike Higgins (@mikehiggins) March 30, 2026

Ripple Prime’s Mike Higgins disclosed the update and reflected Ripple’s broader push to deepen its institutional digital-asset infrastructure footprint beyond payments and custody.

Ripple May Unlock Up To 1 Billion XRP Tokens Tomorrow

Ripple is likely set to unlock up to 1 billion XRP on April 1 as part of its regular monthly escrow schedule, putting the market on watch for another large token release.

The move would not be unusual. Ripple’s escrow unlocks are a routine part of its long-running supply management system, and the company has historically re-locked a significant portion of the released XRP rather than sending the full amount into circulation.

That means the headline unlock does not automatically translate into immediate selling pressure. The real market impact depends on how much XRP Ripple chooses to re-lock and how much remains available for liquidity and operational use.

Ripple on Track for Record-Breaking Q1 2026

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says the company is “on a tear” and headed for a record Q1 2026, even as broader crypto markets remain volatile and XRP trades under pressure.

In a recent Fox Business interview, Garlinghouse pointed to Ripple’s aggressive 2025 dealmaking as a key growth driver.

The company deployed about $4 billion across acquisitions, including the $1.25 billion takeover of prime brokerage Hidden Road, now rebranded as Ripple Prime, and the $1 billion acquisition of GTreasury, now Ripple Treasury.

According to Garlinghouse, Hidden Road has tripled its revenue run rate since the deal, while GTreasury is performing well ahead of expectations.

The acquisitions have significantly broadened Ripple’s institutional reach across prime brokerage, treasury management, and cross-border payments.

Ripple Payments has now processed more than $100 billion in cumulative volume, while Ripple’s US dollar-pegged stablecoin RLUSD is nearing a $1.5 billion market cap and seeing wider institutional adoption.

Garlinghouse said Ripple’s “North Star” remains improving XRP utility, with the company building products aimed at increasing usage of the XRP Ledger.

At the same time, he made clear that Ripple’s corporate performance does not automatically translate into gains for XRP, noting that the company’s direct success primarily accrues to equity holders.

The upbeat comments come as Ripple continues to position itself as a full-stack digital asset infrastructure firm amid a shifting US regulatory backdrop, including debate around the CLARITY Act.

RippleX Releases Whitepaper for Privacy Features

RippleX has published a new research paper that could add privacy features to certain tokens on the XRP Ledger.

In simple terms, it would let users hide token balances and transfer amounts, while still allowing the network to confirm that transactions are valid and that no extra tokens are being created.

Importantly, wallet addresses would still stay visible, so XRPL would not become fully anonymous. Features like freeze, clawback, and audit access would also remain, which could make the system more useful for banks, stablecoin issuers, and tokenized asset projects.

For now, this is only a proposal, not a live XRPL upgrade. It would still need community approval before going live on mainnet.

XRP Price Action and Market Update

XRP price trends have been choppier in the past week, wobbling around the $1.32–$1.35 area as the US–Iran war escalates further.

The latest flare-up includes an Iranian strike on a Kuwait-flagged oil tanker near Dubai, while the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to rattle traders and keep energy markets tight.

That backdrop has hit risk appetite across asset classes.

Oil has surged above $100 a barrel, the dollar is heading for its strongest monthly gain in months, global bonds are suffering steep losses as yields rise, and major strategists have turned more cautious on equities amid growing stagflation fears.

For XRP, the result has been a market stuck in wait-and-see mode.

The token has struggled to build upside momentum even as Ripple-related headlines remain active, suggesting traders are still treating XRP as a macro-sensitive risk asset for now, with war-driven oil and rates concerns overshadowing token-specific catalysts.