Hyperliquid token unlock enters a new rhythm: from chaos to predictability, January 6 milestone

Hyperliquid Labs announces that on January 6th, the team token will undergo a phased unlock, marking a more orderly phase in the supply management of this trading protocol. The first release will be 1.2 million HYPE, which is not just a point in time but a structural turning point — from now on, team tokens will be unlocked regularly on the 6th of each month, establishing a new rhythm that the market can predict and absorb.

From chaotic month-end to stable 6th

There was an issue with the previous plan: the team allocation underwent significant redesign. The original plan scheduled 9.9 million tokens to be released on December 29th, but the new arrangement reduces this to 1.2 million, a cut of about 30%. This change reflects a reassessment of the protocol’s supply risk.

More importantly, the change in monthly rhythm. Moving the unlock date from the end of the month to the 6th of each month may seem like a timing adjustment, but it actually changes the way market expectations are managed. Month-end often triggers market panic — traders worry about a sudden influx of tokens at the end of the month impacting prices. Fixing the date on the 6th creates a predictable, regular event pattern that the market can fully price in.

The team allocation accounts for approximately 23.8% of the total HYPE supply and will be evenly distributed over 24 months. About 1.2 million tokens will be released each month, representing 0.3% of the total supply of 420 million — a small amount per event, but the cumulative effect requires ongoing monitoring.

Checks and balances in supply design

Hyperliquid did not rush into this unlock wave. Prior to this, the ecosystem had already absorbed potential pressure through multiple mechanisms.

Governance votes had approved the destruction of about 37 million HYPE, removing roughly 13% of circulating supply permanently, fundamentally changing long-term inflation expectations. Meanwhile, the protocol’s automatic buyback mechanism consumes about 21,700 tokens per month, which, while not large, creates a partial balance with the 26,700 tokens generated through staking.

This combination — destruction, buyback, and dispersed unlocking — creates a “buffer” in supply. The market is not passively accepting the unlocking pressure but is counteracting it with a structured approach.

The market is already digesting this expectation

After the updated unlock plan was announced, HYPE rose over 3% in the short term, though the increase was not dramatic. This reflects traders’ emphasis on transparency — the market is not afraid of unlocking itself but fears uncertainty.

At current prices, the unlock on January 6th is roughly between $30 million and $33 million. In comparison, the market cap has already reached $57.5 billion (based on the latest data of $24.14), so the monthly unlock’s proportion in liquidity is not fatal.

As of writing, HYPE fluctuates around $24.14, with a 24-hour decline of 1.19%, and a market cap of $575 million. This relatively stable price trend indicates that the market has already incorporated the unlock expectation into its regular pricing logic.

How predictability changes the game

The deeper significance of this adjustment is transforming token release from a risk event into a manageable market structure. The fixed monthly rhythm allows market makers to model supply pressure more precisely; it enables analysts to track the real inflation curve rather than guessing at sudden shocks.

Some community analysts have raised questions about whether future unlock sizes will be linked to protocol revenue. Although the official has not confirmed such a mechanism, the reduced allocation scale hints at some form of tightening intention.

From a market structure perspective, Hyperliquid is replacing reactive temporary policies with transparent, predictable supply rhythms. The contribution of this approach to long-term price stability is often underestimated.