The cryptocurrency market is set for several large token unlocks this month, with assets valued at $5.08 billion expected to be released in December.
BeInCrypto highlights that the top five cliff unlocks will bring a significant amount of tokens to the market.
Unlocking tokens in December: What will happen
Tokenomist (formerly Token Unlocks) reports that $1.99 billion of tokens unlocking in December is classified as cliff unlocking. In these events, tokens are released on a periodic schedule – such as weekly, monthly, or annually – rather than daily.
Investors and traders closely monitor token unlocks as they introduce previously locked tokens into circulation, affecting market dynamics. While these events can create growth opportunities, they also carry the risk of increased selling pressure.
Cliff unlock on December 2024. Source: Tokenomist
The most notable cliff unlocks this month include Sui (SUI), Jito (JTO), Aptos (APT), Arbitrum (ARB), and Optimism (OP).
SUI
On December 1, Sui will unlock 64.19 million tokens, valued at $221.47 million at current prices. The distribution of these tokens is as follows:
Series A: 19.84 million SUI (68.44 million USD)
Series B: 19.32 million SUI (66.66 million USD)
Community reserve: 12.63 million SUI (43.57 million USD)
Early contributors: 10.34 million SUI (35.67 million USD)
Mysten Labs Treasury: 2.07 million SUI (7.14 million USD)
Unlock SUI. Source: Tokenomist
JTO
On December 7, Jito plans to release 135.71 million tokens, worth approximately $498 million. This unlock will exceed the current circulating supply of JTO. The token allocation is as follows:
Core contributors: 81.67 million JTO (299.72 million USD)
Investor: 54.05 million JTO (198.35 million USD)
Unlock JTO. Source: Tokenomist
APT
Aptos is set to unlock 11.31 million APT tokens on December 11, accounting for 2.12% of its total supply. The total value of these tokens is $149.85 million. The distribution will be as follows:
Fund: 1.33 million APT (17.56 million USD)
Community: 3.21 million APT (42.28 million USD)
Core contributor: 3.96 million APT (52.13 million USD)
Investor: 2.81 million APT (36.98 million USD)
Unlock APT. Source: Tokenomist
ARB
On December 16, Arbitrum will release 92.65 million ARB tokens, valued at $88.80 million. This significant unlock accounts for 2.26% of the circulating supply of ARB. The distribution of these tokens will be as follows:
Team, future team, and advisors: 56.13 million ARB (53.79 million USD)
Investor: 36.52 million ARB (35 million USD)
Unlock ARB. Source: Tokenomist
OP
On December 31, Optimism will unlock 31.34 million tokens. These tokens, worth approximately $75.85 million, account for 2.50% of its circulating supply. The distribution of newly released OP will be as follows:
Investor: 14.80 million OP (35.82 million USD)
Core contributors: 16.54 million OP (40.03 million USD)
Unlock OP. Source: Tokenomist
In addition to these major events, the market will also witness the unlocking of cliff tokens from other notable projects in December, including Cardano (ADA), ZetaChain (ZETA), Immutable (IMX), ApeCoin (APE), Starknet (STRK), and Sei (SEI).