Token Unlocks Worth $4.6B Hit Crypto Market: Which Coins Could Dump Next?

Key Insights

• Token unlocks worth $4.6 billion hit markets March 9-16, representing triple the normal monthly average.
• Token unlocks show 90% cause price drops, with ONDO crashing 23% after a 130% supply increase in January.
• WBT token unlocks $4.34 billion on March 13, releasing 27.77% of supply to the team and investors.

The crypto market faces a big week. Between March 9 and March 16, 2026, token unlocks worth $4.6 billion will hit circulation. That’s nearly triple the normal monthly average of around $2 billion. All of it concentrated into seven days.

When supply increases, but demand stays the same, prices usually drop. History shows this happens 90% of the time with token unlocks. This week tests whether markets can absorb $4.6 billion without crashing prices.

$4.34B WBT Token Unlock Set to Release 27.77% Supply

One token unlock dominates the entire week. WBT, which is WhiteBIT’s native token, unlocks $4.34 billion on March 13.

That’s 81.50 million tokens. This represents 27.77% of the current circulating supply. Nearly a third of all available tokens would be hitting the crypto market at once.

This is a cliff unlock. Cliff means all tokens are released together in one batch. Not gradually over time. This creates what traders call a supply shock.

Token Unlock Schedule | Source: X

The tokens go to the team and early investors. These are people who bought WBT cheaply before it launched publicly.

The current price sits around $53.25. Their profit potential is massive. And that creates a strong incentive to sell.

WBT already shows signs of weakness. Down 1.3% in the past 24 hours. Not a crash yet. But the direction is clear. Markets are pricing in what’s coming.

Smart money sells before the token unlock happens. Retail often holds and takes the loss.

WBT Token Massive Unlock | Source: Tokenomist

Compare this to normal unlocks. Small unlocks under 1% of supply barely move prices. Medium unlocks around 2% to 5% cause noticeable dips. But 27.77% is extreme. This is the kind of event that can cut a token’s value by 20% or more in a single session.

90% of Token Unlocks Trigger Price Drops

Historical data doesn’t lie. 90% of token unlock events lead to negative price action. Not just small dips, but real selling pressure that erases gains.

The pattern is consistent. Prices usually start dropping about 30 days before the actual unlock date. Not on the day itself.

Because experienced traders know what’s coming, they sell early. By the time retail realizes the unlock is happening, the damage is already done.

January 2025 gave us a perfect example. ONDO token scheduled a major unlock. The amount was 130% of the existing circulating supply. More than doubling the available tokens overnight. The result was a 23% price crash.

Why does this happen?

The answer lies in simple economics. Supply goes up as demand stays the same or even drops because people get scared.

The token price must fall to find a new balance.

How ONDO Handled The Unlock | Source: Tokenomist

Some projects try to manage this. They might announce buybacks. Or burn tokens to offset the new supply in the crypto market. Or even release good news to create buying pressure.

CC, WLD Drop 6% as Markets Price In Unlocks

The selling has already started in the crypto market. Several tokens scheduled for unlock this week are showing clear weakness.

Canton Network, which trades as CC, is down 6.18% over the past week. Current price sits at $0.15. The unlock coming is 191.71 million tokens worth $28.75 million. That’s 0.46% of the supply. Not huge. But combined with broader unlock fears, sellers are hitting it early.

Worldcoin, ticker WLD, dropped 6% over the same period. The unlock releases 37.23 million tokens worth $13.47 million. Again, not massive at 0.77% of the supply. But the direction is clear.

Aptos, known as APT, shows a smaller decline at 0.51% in the past 24 hours. Price around $0.93. The unlock releases $11.62 million worth of tokens on March 12, which is only 0.76% of the supply.

Even Solana faces daily unlocks. SOL releases 473,500 tokens every day, worth about $38.87 million.

But that’s only 0.07% of the supply. Tiny. SOL actually held steady, down just 0.64% in 24 hours. This shows that small token unlocks can be absorbed.

Daily Token Unlocks Are Part Of Network Emissions | Source: Tokenomist

The lesson is clear. Big percentage unlocks like WBT’s 27.77% are the real danger. Mid-size token unlocks of around 1% to 3% create moderate pressure. Tiny unlocks under 0.1% barely matter. This week, WBT is the bomb.

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