Margin note — new here? Start with this
An escrow locks XRP on the ledger itself until a condition is met — a release time passes, or someone presents a cryptographic secret. No middleman holds the money; the protocol does. Until it is finished or cancelled, nobody — not even the sender — can touch the locked XRP.
It is a glass lockbox in the town square. Everyone can see the money inside and read the rule taped to the lid — 'opens June 1st' or 'opens for whoever knows the passphrase' — and the box itself enforces the rule. No banker, no lawyer, no trust required.Start here: Create Time Escrow
transactionactive
Create Time Escrow
Lock XRP until a release time. Optionally add a cancel-after time so the funds can be reclaimed if unfinished.
EscrowCreate2 credits
transactionactive
Create Conditional Escrow
Lock XRP behind a PREIMAGE-SHA-256 crypto-condition. Whoever knows the fulfillment can release it; include a cancel-after as an escape hatch.
EscrowCreate2 credits
transactionactive
Finish Escrow
Release an escrow to its destination. For conditional escrows, supply the condition and its fulfillment.
EscrowFinish2 credits
transactionactive
Cancel Escrow
Cancel an escrow whose cancel-after time has passed, returning the XRP to the creator.
EscrowCancel2 credits