Billion-Dollar Crypto Token Unlocks Set for Early October 2026
Early October 2026 is set to see a wave of significant crypto token unlocks, totaling $1.11 billion across several major projects. Leading the schedule is Hyperliquid, which will release 3.75 million HYPE tokens worth $340 million on October 6, all to a single institutional buyer. Hyperliquid operates as a decentralized perpetual futures exchange on its own Layer-1 blockchain, designed for low-latency trading with on-chain order books.
On October 5, Ethena will unlock 171.88 million ENA tokens valued at $41.52 million. This batch will be distributed to core contributors and investors, representing about 1.88% of its released supply. Ethena is known for its USDe stablecoin, with ENA serving as the governance token for the protocol.
Aptos will follow on October 11 with the release of 11.31 million APT tokens worth $9.06 million. These tokens will be allocated across four groups, including core contributors, the community, investors, and the Aptos foundation. Aptos is a Layer-1 blockchain focused on scalable, secure dApps and Web3 applications.
In addition to these major unlocks, other projects like Aerodrome Finance (AERO), Movement (MOVE), and Babylon (BABY) will also release fresh token supply during the same week. The concentrated timing of these unlocks could introduce volatility into the crypto markets and influence short-term price movements.