Crypto traders need to pay attention this week. More than $27 million in locked tokens hit the market between February 9 to 15, with February 12 looking particularly brutal as three major projects simultaneously release their allocations.
Token unlocks take place when projects end their vesting time for early investors and team members. The psychology gets messy—traders sell ahead of known unlock dates, early backers cash out, and retail holders panic. This week’s lineup could not be more concentrated if someone deliberately designed it to stress-test the market.
Aptos Takes the Lead
Aptos unlocks 11.30 million tokens on February 12, worth $12.33 million. Built by former Meta engineers, this Layer-1 blockchain uses the Move programming language to compete with Ethereum. BlackRock’s BUILD fund has put over $500 million into the ecosystem, showing institutional confidence.
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The unlock represents 1.13% of the total supply and 1.47% of the market cap. This is significant but not devastating. Still, institutional backing does not mean smooth sailing. Early investors have waited months for this, and they may cash out. Watch for unusual selling volume in the days before February 12.
Solayer’s Massive Supply Shock
Things get dangerous when Solayer releases 98.94 million LAYER tokens on February 12, valued at $8.35 million. This Solana-based restaking protocol lets users earn additional yield by securing multiple networks simultaneously.
This unlock equals 47.11% of Solayer’s current market cap. Nearly half the project’s value becomes liquid overnight—the kind of supply shock that crushes prices regardless of fundamentals. Adding to this is the smaller daily unlocks continue through February 15, followed by another $2.20 million worth of release on February 16. Indeed, LAYER holders face a week-long test.
Pump and Sei Complete the Picture
Pump Token also unlocks 2.08 billion tokens worth $4.40 million on February 12. The meme coin launchpad only releases 0.21% of the total supply, but timing matters—getting caught in broader market weakness alongside Aptos and Solayer could amplify the damage.
Sei Network takes a different direction, spreading 4.29 million tokens daily from February 9 to 13, which is worth $2.29 million in total. This Layer-1 blockchain breaks up the unlock across five days rather than one big dump. Each daily unlock is just 0.04% of the total supply, but the total may lead to some pressure.
The Wednesday Reckoning
February 12 deserves serious attention. When three major unlocks converge, crypto’s notorious correlation kicks in, especially in the present market slump. Smart money typically positions one to two weeks early—why hold through predictable selling when you can sidestep it and buy back cheaper? This often triggers price drops before unlocks even occur.
This week tests whether markets can absorb known supply shocks or if sentiment is fragile enough to crack. For long-term believers, short-term volatility might not matter. But if you’re trading shorter timeframes, understand the dynamics at play. Pride shouldn’t keep you in positions your risk tolerance can’t handle.
