Projects are increasingly structuring unlocks to align with ecosystem milestones rather than arbitrary dates. For example, Immutable timed its June 13 unlock to coincide with new gaming partnerships, while Starknet’s June 15 unlock followed major protocol upgrades. This aims to counterbalance selling pressure with fundamental developments that support demand.
Some projects also implement ‘cliff-and-vest’ schedules that release tokens gradually. ApeCoin’s June 17 unlock represented just 1.95% of circulating supply, minimizing market impact compared to ZKsync’s 20.91% release. This staggered approach prevents supply floods and gives markets time to absorb new tokens.
Despite these strategies, large unlocks remain market-moving events, especially during volatile periods. The mid-June unlocks coincided with Bitcoin’s drop below $103,000, exacerbating downward momentum for tokens like ARB and ZK. Projects now often pair unlocks with token burns or staking rewards to incentivize holding, though effectiveness varies.
