Dogecoin, ASTER, and HYPE: The Massive Token Unlocks Every Crypto Investor Must Watch in 2026
Hold onto your wallets—the floodgates are opening. Major token unlocks are set to hit the market, and savvy investors are bracing for impact. This isn't just routine dilution; it's a supply shock that could reshape entire portfolios.
The Unlock Calendar: What's Coming to Market
Dogecoin's legendary community faces a fresh test as dormant reserves awaken. Meanwhile, ASTER and HYPE projects are poised to release significant tranches from their treasuries. The numbers are substantial—enough to make any chart twitch. It's the classic crypto dance: early backers eye exits while retail wonders if they're the exit liquidity. A cynical take? In finance, a 'strategic unlock' often just means 'time to sell.'
Navigating the Incoming Tide
History shows unlocks cut both ways—they can crater prices or, if demand swallows the supply, fuel the next leg up. The key is watching volume and holder behavior. Do the unlocks get absorbed or dumped? That answer separates a healthy ecosystem from a sinking ship. Forget hoping for the best; plan for volatility and keep an eye on those order books. The market's about to get a whole lot more interesting.
Dogecoin, ASTER, And HYPE Set For Large Token Unlocks
Tokenomist data shows that Dogecoin has a token linear unlock of 95.06 million DOGE ($11.89 million) from December 20 to January 5, 2026. Meanwhile, ASTER has a token linear unlock of 10.28 million tokens ($7.44 million), also during a similar period as DOGE.
Fellow Perp DEX token HYPE had a token cliff unlock of 9.92 million tokens ($251.19 million) for core contributors. Solana, TRUMP, SUI, AVAX, and WLD also have significant unlocks during this period.
However, based on clarification from the Hyperliquid team, Tokenomist noted that the unlock dates do not equate to actual claims, indicating that team members won’t be able to sell all these tokens on the day they are unlocked. HYPE for core contributors will be distributed monthly on the sixth, with 12.4 million HYPE set to be unlocked on January 6. These unlocks for Dogecoin and ASTER come amid declines for these tokens.
The Dogecoin price is down 5% over the last week and 61% year-to-date (YTD). ASTER has traded flat in the last week and is down 53% YTD. However, HYPE is up over 7% in the last week and YTD. Notably, the Hyper Foundation had burned the HYPE in the assistance fund system, which represented about 11% of the token’s circulating supply.
ASTER and HYPE are also facing increased competition amid these token unlocks. Ethereum-based Perp DEX Lighter just launched its LIT token, which could draw liquidity from ASTER and HYPE. The LIT token is currently trading at around $2.71, according to CoinMarketCap data, and boasts a market cap of almost $700 million.
ASTER Receives Criticism Amid Unlocks
Amid the token unlocks for Dogecoin, ASTER, and HYPE, crypto pundit StrongHedge has criticized ASTER, stating that the tokens are going to one party and will get dumped. The pundit further noted that token inflation is rising sharply and that the chart will continue to fall hard. Furthermore, he described ASTER as just a “useless BNB token” with no relevance to the DEX or its utility, but just for farming retail.
StrongHedge also claimed that ASTER was never set up to rival HYPE as a perp DEX, stating that it is a “wash trading vehicle.” ASTER isn’t the only token projected to drop amid these token unlocks. Crypto analyst Crypto Tony suggested that dogecoin could still fall below the psychological $0.10 level. This came as he revealed that he was awaiting big bids down at $0.091.
