Hyperliquid Drops Hint on HYPE Unlocks—What’s Coming January 6?

Hyperliquid co-founder Iliensinc sparked chatter on Sunday, after revealing on Discord that 1.2 million HYPE tokens from Hyperliquid Labs will be unstaked today (December 28, 2025) and distributed to team members on January 6, 2026. The announcement also clarified that future team distributions, if any, will occur on the 6th of each month, bringing structure to the projects token release schedule. January 6 Could Shake HYPE MarketsHyperliquid Confirms Team Token Release The disclosure comes amid speculation over Hyperliquids tokenomics. Core contributors currently hold 23.8% of the 1 billion HYPE total supply. This is governed by a one-year cliff and linear vesting plan that extends through 2027. This three-year vesting framework ensures the team remains aligned with the long-term success of the decentralized derivatives platform. It includes venues like Hyperliquid Spot, LBank, Bitget, Gate, KuCoin, and OKX. HYPE, the ecosystems native asset, is most frequently traded against USDT and USDC. Despite concerns from on-chain trackers about a potential 9.92 million token release on December 29, the team emphasized that distributions would be predictable and controlled, mitigating fears of sudden sell-offs. At press time, HYPE trades around $25.38. It is down 0.65% in the last 24 hours, with a market capitalization of $8.6 billion, suggesting relative stability despite distribution chatter. Hyperliquid (HYPE) Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto Community Reacts as Hyperliquid Confirms 1.2 Million HYPE Tokens to Hit Team Wallets January 6 Community reactions have been mixed. Some traders welcomed the transparency, acknowledging the clarity that comes with Iliensincs Discord post. Discord screenshot showing iliensincs announcement of the 1.2 million HYPE token distribution schedule (X/martypartymusic) Some good clarity on future unlocks. The keyword here is distributions, if any, one user remarked. Others voiced skepticism, pointing to prior high-volume sales by early investors. Still, some expressed concerns about potential short-term pressure, a common occurrence with token unlock events. Funny to see .hls saying it's over, while it's only 1.2M tokens.Loracle was selling most prolly 3-5x that at the pico top, when those same people were telling you we will go up only.TLDR: Higher Derteil (@derteil00) December 28, 2025 Nonetheless, the monthly unlock schedule provides stakeholders with insight into upcoming supply increases. This enables investors to plan for predictable token events rather than reacting to surprises. The gradual release structure reduces the risk of sudden price shocks, maintaining market confidence while allowing the team to realize the value of their holdings gradually. The key variable will be whether team members hold or sell their unlocked HYPE. Early January trading could set the tone for 2026, influencing investor sentiment and price momentum in the short term. While the clear vesting schedule may reassure long-term holders, the growing circulating supply will remain a factor for the market. Read the article at BeInCrypto