Sui Token Defies Gravity: Soars 38% in January, Leaving Bitcoin and Ether in the Dust

Sui isn't just rallying—it's rewriting the crypto playbook for 2026.

The Underdog's January Juggernaut

While the old guard churns, this emerging layer-1 blockchain token has staged a stunning breakout. A blistering thirty-eight percent surge in a single month isn't just good; it's a statement. The kind that turns cautious glances into frantic portfolio checks across trading desks.

Beyond the Big Two

Forget sideways action. Sui's performance didn't just edge past the majors—it blew past them. This isn't mere correlation; it's decoupling. The move signals a market increasingly willing to bet on next-generation architecture over legacy names, a shift in capital flows that has analysts scrambling to update their models.

What's Fueling the Fire?

Speculation points to a potent mix: surging on-chain activity, developer migration, and that ever-elusive 'narrative momentum.' It's the classic crypto catalyst cocktail—part tech, part tribe, all timing. And let's be honest, nothing moves a chart like the fear of missing out on the next big thing before your rivals do.

A Cynic's Corner

Of course, in crypto, every parabolic move comes with a whispered question from the back of the room: is this sustainable growth or just sophisticated pump choreography? Some fund managers are already dusting off their 'irrational exuberance' slides—just in case.

One month of outperformance doesn't make a dynasty, but it sure gets everyone's attention. Sui has thrown down the gauntlet. Now, the market waits to see if this is a flash in the pan or the first chapter of a new hierarchy.

TLDR

• Sui (SUI) token surged over 14% in 24 hours and 38% in January, reaching $1.99, its highest price since mid-November
• Mysten Labs researchers published a paper exploring privacy features for blockchains, placing Sui alongside Ethereum and Solana
• The rally comes despite a $65 million token unlock on January 1, showing strong market absorption of new supply
• Network activity remains robust at 866 transactions per second following the Mysticeti v2 upgrade
• Bitwise and Canary Capital filed for spot SUI ETFs, signaling growing institutional interest in the token

Sui’s native token jumped more than 14% over the past 24 hours. The layer 1 blockchain’s token outperformed Bitcoin and ether during the same period.

Bitcoin ROSE about 1% while ether gained roughly 1.2%. This made SUI the strongest large-cap performer of the day.

The rally pushed sui to $1.99 in early Asian trading hours. This marks the highest level since mid-November. At time of writing, the token was trading at $1.94.

SUI has closed in green for five consecutive days. This represents its longest winning streak since April. The token has gained over 38% since the start of January.

The surge earned SUI the top spot among the top 100 daily gainers on CoinGecko. Trading volume increased over 91% to reach $1.7 billion in 24 hours.

Mysten Labs recently published a research paper exploring privacy features for blockchains. The paper outlined how modern blockchains can incorporate privacy without fully adopting legacy privacy coin designs.

The document structured as a systematization of knowledge laid out a framework for comparing privacy models across blockchains. It categorizes privacy into distinct levels ranging from basic confidentiality to full anonymity.

The paper places Sui within the account-based model alongside ethereum and Solana. It explores how such systems could implement confidential balances using cryptographic primitives like homomorphic encryption and zero-knowledge proofs.

Token Unlock Absorbed by Market

On January 1, 43.69 million SUI tokens entered circulation through the project’s monthly vesting schedule. This represented an estimated value of $65.10 million.

Token unlocks typically place downward pressure on prices by increasing circulating supply. However, SUI continued to trade higher during this period. This indicates the market absorbed the additional supply.

Crypto analyst Kyle Chassé noted the rally’s timing given the token release. The analyst also pointed out that network activity remained strong after the Mysticeti v2 upgrade. The network maintains 866 transactions per second.

Bitwise and Canary Capital filed for spot SUI ETFs. These filings signal growing institutional interest in the asset.

Price Targets and Network Growth

An analyst observed that SUI rebounded from a triple-bottom formation. This technical setup typically signals strong support. The token reclaimed the $1.75 level, reinforcing bullish sentiment.

$SUI bouncing from its triple bottom and recovering the key $1.75 support.

Looking absolutely bullish

More charts at: https://t.co/N3WuQcWWkm pic.twitter.com/eA1QqvDaHe

— Rand (@cryptorand) January 5, 2026

Trader CryptoBullet forecasted that SUI could continue its upward move. The trader cited price targets between $2.8 and $3.5.

$SUI vs $TON update

So far so good!

Pulled back into the Support Zone as expected and bounced!

+40% gain so far (+34% over the last 7 days!)

$2.8-3.5 Target remains https://t.co/um9dDs8Enr pic.twitter.com/61X8fxkJvg

— CryptoBullet (@CryptoBullet1) January 5, 2026

Analyst Moon Jeff suggested that if the market turns favorable for altcoins, SUI’s market cap could approach $30 billion. This represents a more than 300% increase from its current value of $7.3 billion.

Tokens in the Sui ecosystem have also seen gains in line with the rally across the broader market. The paper emphasized trade-offs between strong privacy guarantees and computational overhead.

Throughout 2025, investors increasingly sought countercyclical value. During the second half of 2025, privacy coins like Zcash and Monero outperformed broader crypto markets.

The Mysten Labs paper doesn’t present a timeline to launch a privacy token or new technology. However, investors are viewing it as a signal for future developments.