The local token of Celestia, TIA, has shown the second-worst performance among the top 100 cryptocurrencies in terms of market value over the past week. Trading at $6.24 on September 25, TIA has now fallen to approximately $4.86. The decline is primarily attributed to the imminent unlocking of hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of tokens, which could lead to considerable price fluctuations.
Details of the TIA Token Unlock
The sudden price drop of TIA is linked to the unlocking of 175.56 million TIA tokens planned for the end of the month. According to crypto research firm Messari, this unlocking represents about 82% of the current circulating supply, valued at approximately $853 million. Typically, unlockings involving over 5% of the supply can cause sudden price drops; in this case, the figures are significantly higher. Additionally, given the current lack of interest in altcoins, serious liquidity issues may arise.
It is believed that investors may have realized profits. High volatility is expected on the unlocking day.
Celestia has allocated approximately $311 million worth of 65 million TIA tokens to Series A and B investors. For early contributors, $278 million has been set aside, while the remaining $251 million is designated for seed round investors.
Schedule for TIA Token Unlocks
According to Messari, this event marks the beginning of monthly token unlocks that will continue over the next three years. From November 2024 to October 2025, approximately 30 million TIA will be released each month, followed by at least 9.7 million tokens monthly from November 2025 to October 2026, and 5.1 million TIA per month from November 2026 to October 2027. Similar to the case of DYDX, substantial price levels have been achieved through token unlocks with limited supply, and this may also occur for TIA Coin.
Developers on the Celestia network pay transaction fees in TIA. Users can delegate their TIAs to a validator and earn a share of the staking rewards. TIA staking participants also have the right to vote on governance proposals that can change the network parameters.
These developments could significantly impact the future performance of the TIA token and the ecosystem of the Celestia network. The volatility triggered by large unlockings can be exciting for traders pursuing short-term gains.
