LayerZero and Arbitrum top $438M in token unlocks scheduled this week

Token unlock activity worth over $438 million is scheduled for the week of March 16 to March 23, with LayerZero (ZRO) and Arbitrum (ARB) leading the largest one-time cliff releases.

Data from Tokenomist shows a combination of cliff and linear unlocks spread across more than a dozen projects during the period.

ZRO and ARB lead cliff releases

Among the large one-time cliff unlocks scheduled, ZRO tops the list by dollar value with 25.71 million tokens worth $55.53 million entering circulation. This is equal to 5.64% of its adjusted released supply.

RIVER follows with 2.03 million tokens valued at $46.47 million, accounting for 4.44% of its adjusted released supply. BARD is scheduled to release 32.40 million tokens worth $35.03 million. This is the largest release by token count among cliff unlocks at 12.01% of the adjusted released supply.

Arbitrum (ARB) is set to release 96 million tokens this week, though at current prices, the dollar value stands at $10 million, equivalent to 1.85% of the adjusted released supply. MBG, YZY, and KAITO round out the cliff unlock list with releases valued at $9.42 million, $6.80 million, and $6.45 million, respectively.

Linear unlocks add over $260M in weekly supply

On the linear side, RAIN leads all projects with a daily unlock pace that adds up to $86.51 million over the seven-day window. Solana (SOL) continues its ongoing linear release schedule with 472,330 tokens worth $43.80 million.

TRUMP tokens are set to release 6.33 million tokens valued at $25.63 million, equal to 2.72% of the circulating supply. Worldcoin (WLD) adds 37.23 million tokens worth $13.64 million at 1.28% of circulating supply, while Dogecoin (DOGE) sees 97.15 million tokens released at $9.51 million.

CC, ASTER, and TAO contribute an additional $43.41 million combined across their respective linear release schedules. This brings the total linear unlock value for the week well above $260 million.

Smaller projects also see notable token unlock activity

Beyond the headline figures, CoinMarketCap data shows a range of smaller projects with upcoming token unlock events and vesting milestones. REVOX (REX) has 34.38 million tokens scheduled for its next release, worth approximately $3,651, at 1.15% of total locked supply. GoPlus Security (GPS) is approaching an upcoming release of 166.44 million GPS tokens valued at $1.44 million, which is 1.66% of the total locked supply.

1.35 million tokens, or 1.35% of the total locked supply, are scheduled for release at $374,756 for Hyperion (RION). With 81.54% of its total supply already unlocked, Parcl (PRCL) has 14.2 million tokens available at $223,974. Project Merlin (MRLN) and Snapmuse (SMX) are also getting close to their unlock milestones.

What this week’s token unlock schedule means for markets

There is a direct reason why cliff unlocks draw more attention than linear releases. A sudden, one-time rise in the circulating supply lets people who already own the coin or who invested early sell right away. This can lower the price if a lot of people want to sell around the unlock date.

Linear unlocks spread that pressure out over time, which usually makes the market less affected right away. Projects like SOL and DOGE, which already have a lot of coins in circulation, can handle linear releases with only small percentage changes. Smaller projects that have higher unlock percentages compared to the circulating supply are in a different situation.