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🩸BEARISH

Token Unlocks Erode Market Confidence, Dragonfly VC Warns

Qureshi points to strategic investors selling every batch across a four-year vesting schedule, a pattern that scares off secondary buyers and can lock a token into a down-only trajectory.

Dragonfly Capital Managing Partner Haseeb Qureshi said ongoing token unlocks are eroding secondary-market confidence in some tokens, with many projects facing persistent sell pressure from multi-year unlock schedules.

In an August 28 interview with Bankless, Qureshi said some strategic investors dump their tokens the moment they receive them, selling each batch as it unlocks throughout a four-year vesting period.

Why it matters

The critique lands squarely on token design rather than market cycles. When unlocking investors behave as steady sellers, secondary-market buyers have little incentive to step in ahead of the next scheduled release, since the supply overhang is always visible on the calendar.

Qureshi argued the pattern goes beyond simple selling pressure. Repeated dumps at each unlock can create the perception that a token is destined to trade down only, a narrative that itself repels buyers even in stronger market conditions.

Market impact

For investors, the practical takeaway is to scrutinize vesting structures as closely as fundamentals. Tokens with large, lumpy unlock schedules and hands-off strategic holders carry a structural headwind that price catalysts struggle to overcome.

Qureshi's comments come from one of crypto's most prominent VC voices, which adds weight to a debate already running through the industry about whether current unlock models are sustainable. Watch for projects facing major upcoming unlocks, as their vesting calendars may matter more than their roadmaps in the months ahead.

Source: [Did Crypto's Next Cycle Just Begin? — YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6YAjyQZV90)

Frequently asked questions

  1. Who is Haseeb Qureshi and why do his comments matter?

    He is Managing Partner at Dragonfly Capital, one of crypto's most prominent venture firms. His comments carry weight because Dragonfly holds positions across many tokens with active vesting schedules.

  2. How do token unlocks create sell pressure?

    Investors in token sales typically receive tokens on a multi-year vesting schedule. When they sell each batch as it unlocks, the market absorbs a steady stream of new supply regardless of demand.

  3. What does down only mean in the context of unlocks?

    Qureshi used the phrase to describe how repeated selling at every unlock can cement a market perception that a token will keep declining, which itself discourages new buyers from entering.

  4. What vesting period did Qureshi cite in his Bankless interview?

    He described strategic investors selling each batch across a four-year vesting period, meaning the sell pressure persists for years after a project's token generation event.

  5. What should investors watch for with token unlock schedules?

    Large, lumpy unlock schedules paired with strategic holders who sell immediately. Qureshi's argument suggests vesting structure can matter as much as fundamentals for a token's price trajectory.

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