Crypto Market to Unlock $4.5 Billion in September
Crypto projects are preparing to release about $4.5 billion worth of vested tokens in September, according to Tokenomist. The data shows that roughly $1.17 billion will come from cliff unlocks and $3.36 billion from linear unlocks, making tokens available to investors, teams, and stakeholders as vesting periods expire.
Cliff unlocks usually create larger, one-time supply shocks, while linear unlocks distribute tokens gradually to reduce market impact.
Major token unlocks scheduled
Sui leads with more than $153 million in tokens set to be released, with only 35.1% of its supply currently circulating. Fasttoken follows with $90 million, though its effect is limited as over 96% of FTN’s supply is already in the market.
Aptos and Arbitrum will add nearly $50 million and $48 million worth of tokens, respectively. Other significant unlocks include Starknet with $16.85 million, Sei with $16.49 million, Immutable with $13.4 million, and ZK with $10.7 million.
Changing market perception of unlocks
Vincent Kadar, CEO of Polymath, noted that while investors once viewed unlocks with anxiety, the focus is shifting. “Sophisticated investors evaluate the economics, adoption levels, governance transparency and incentives aligning with long-term value,” he said, adding that the industry is moving away from short-term reactions and toward fundamentals.
According to Kadar, this change is constructive, reflecting the maturity of blockchain projects as they integrate more closely with public markets.
Sources:
https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-token-unlocks-september-2025