Why must I deposit XRP before a new wallet works?

The full answer

What is known about wallet activation today?

As of September 30, 2026, the material gathered for this page does not include the XRP Ledger’s documentation on accounts, reserves or transaction results. For that reason, this page does not describe how a new address becomes active or what happens to a first payment that is too small. The amount of XRP that stays locked in an account, and whether it can be recovered, is covered on the page why some of my XRP is locked (the reserve). That page depends on the same missing documentation.

How many new XRP Ledger accounts are created each day?

Evernorth reported that new accounts on the XRP Ledger averaged 2,783 a day in Q2 2026, down about 25% from a year earlier [1]. It is the company’s own count, not an independent audit [1].

What does a network fee cost, and what happens to it?

CCN, in a Yahoo Finance-hosted article dated 20 August 2026 that cites Blockworks’ State of XRP report on Q2 2026, reported that the average XRP Ledger transaction cost fell to $0.00024, and that about 40,600 XRP were burned during the quarter [2]. Neither source says whether the fee is burned when a transaction fails. That question is listed as open above.

Why does the XRP Ledger require a reserve at all?

As of September 30, 2026, none of the sources reviewed gives the reason. This page takes no position on whether the reserve is justified. The case for it and the case against it will be set out on the reserve page once the ledger’s documentation has been reviewed.

How can I check whether a new address is active?

Checking an address on a public explorer is covered on the page on how to look up and read an XRP Ledger transaction. The first transfer from an exchange to a new wallet is covered on the page on moving XRP from an exchange to your own wallet without losing it.