Hyperliquid reveals hints at unlocking HYPE—What's happening on January 6th?

Hyperliquid co-founder Iliensinc made headlines on Sunday when he revealed on Discord that 1.2 million HYPE Token from Hyperliquid Labs will be unstaken today (December 28, 2025) and distributed to team members on January 6, 2026.

This announcement also clarifies that future distributions to the team, if any, will take place on the 6th of each month, making the project's Token Issuance process more transparent and planned.

January 6th could be a volatile day for the HYPE market—Hyperliquid confirms Token Issuance for the team.

The disclosure comes amid much speculation about Hyperliquid's tokenomics . Currently, core contributors own 23.8% of the total supply of 1 billion HYPE Token. This mechanism has a 1-year lock-up period and linear vesting until the end of 2027.

This three-year vesting timeframe helps the development team commit more to the long-term success of the decentralized Derivative platform . The project is currently listed on exchanges such as Hyperliquid Spot, LBank, Bitget, Gate, Kucoin , and OKX. HYPE is the main coin of this ecosystem and is often traded against USDT or USDC.

Although some on-chain tracking sites are concerned about the possibility of 9.92 million Token being released on December 29th, the project team asserts that the distributions will be controlled and follow a clear schedule, alleviating concerns about unexpected sell-offs.

At the time of writing, HYPE is trading at approximately $25.38, down 0.65% in the last 24 hours, with a market Capital of $8.6 billion, showing relative stability despite rumors about Token distribution.

The community reacted when Hyperliquid confirmed that 1.2 million HYPE Token would be transferred to the team's wallet on January 6th.

The community's reaction was quite varied. Some traders welcomed this transparency, appreciating Iliensinc's clear announcement of the Token distribution schedule on Discord.

"This is good transparency regarding upcoming unlocks. The key word here is 'distribution, if any'," one user commented .

Others expressed skepticism, noting that early investors had previously sold off large volumes. Additionally, there were concerns about the potential for increased short-term selling pressure, a common occurrence during Token Lockup unlocking events.

However, the monthly unlock schedule helps investors and the community stay informed about upcoming supply increases . This allows investors to proactively plan, rather than reacting unexpectedly to Token Lockup unlock news.

The monthly phased distribution also limits the risk of sudden price shocks, thereby maintaining market confidence and helping the team gradually realize the value of their Token .

The key is whether team members will hold or sell HYPE after unlocking it. Transactions at the beginning of January could influence market trends in 2026, and also impact investor sentiment in the short term.

While a clear vesting schedule will undoubtedly provide greater reassurance to long-term investors, the increased supply in circulation remains a factor the market needs to consider.