More than $3.3 billion worth of cryptocurrency tokens are scheduled to be unlocked and enter circulation throughout June, according to data from blockchain vesting tracker Tokenomist. This represents a 32% decrease from May’s $4.9 billion in token unlocks.
Token unlocks typically follow vesting schedules established by crypto projects to control the release of tokens allocated to team members, early investors, and community incentives. These schedules are designed to avoid flooding the market with excess supply and to align long-term incentives among stakeholders.
Unlock Mechanics: Cliff vs. Linear
Of the total $3.3 billion, around $1.4 billion will be released through “cliff unlocks”—a method where a large chunk of tokens becomes available all at once. The remaining $1.9 billion will follow “linear unlocks,” which distribute tokens gradually over a set period.
This month’s unlocks are expected to affect a wide range of projects, from NFT ecosystems to Layer-1 blockchains, many of which play significant roles in the Web3 and DeFi ecosystems.
Notable Token Unlocks in June
One of the largest events this month involves Metars Genesis (MRS), an NFT and AI-focused project. On June 21, MRS will release approximately $193 million worth of tokens to support its artificial intelligence partnership. Since March, the project has consistently unlocked 10 million tokens per month, reaching nearly $1 billion in total unlocked value.
Sui (SUI), a Layer-1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, is set to release 44 million tokens—valued at roughly $160 million—on June 1. This tranche will be allocated across the project’s treasury, early contributors, and community reserve. The largest portion, over $70 million, is earmarked for Series B investors. So far, Sui has unlocked 3.3 billion tokens, estimated to be worth over $12 billion, which accounts for about one-third of its total supply. Another 5.22 billion tokens remain without a scheduled unlock date.
Other Major Projects Releasing Tokens
Several other high-profile projects are also set to unlock tokens this month:
- Fasttoken (FTN) will release 20 million tokens worth approximately $88 million, mostly designated for its founding team.
- LayerZero (ZRO) is expected to unlock 25 million tokens valued at $71 million, allocated to core contributors and strategic partners.
- Aptos (APT) plans to release 11.3 million tokens—worth $61 million—for its community, contributors, and investors.
- ZKsync (ZK) will unlock more than 760 million tokens valued at around $49 million for early investors and team members.
Market Implications
Token unlocks can exert pressure on asset prices, especially when large quantities of tokens become available all at once. However, the lower volume of scheduled unlocks this month may offer some breathing room to markets already navigating regulatory uncertainty and low liquidity conditions.
Investors and analysts will be closely monitoring how the release of these tokens affects market dynamics, particularly for projects with high circulating-to-total supply ratios or heavy allocations to insiders.
