Hyperliquid (HYPE) Whales Gobble Up $6M Ahead of July 15 Unlock—Bullish or Front-Running?

Crypto whales are making waves—again. With just days left before Hyperliquid’s (HYPE) July 15 token unlock, deep-pocketed investors have snapped up $6 million worth of HYPE. Is this a vote of confidence or a classic pump-and-dump setup?

Why the frenzy? Unlocks can be double-edged swords. While they increase liquidity, they also flood the market with supply—often triggering volatility. Whales might be betting on a post-unlock price surge… or just positioning to dump on retail.

The cynical take? Watch the charts, not the hype. When big players accumulate before unlocks, it’s either a bullish signal or a trap. Either way, someone’s about to get rich—and it’s probably not you.

• Four whale wallets bought $6.14M worth of HYPE tokens amid rising market volatility ahead of the July 15 Kinetiq launch.
• One new wallet contributed $1M, purchasing 25,507 HYPE at an average price of $39.20, signaling strong confidence.
• Over 1 million HYPE tokens were unstaked recently, likely in preparation for re-staking through Kinetiq’s liquid staking system.

Hyperliquid (HYPE) enjoys strong whale accumulation before the release of the Kinetiq platform. On-chain analytics show millions entering the resident token Hyperliquid despite rising market volatility. Instead of leaving, large wallets are recommitting, which signals faith in a major paradigm shift that’s happening in the HYPE ecosystem.

In a series of large deals, four wallets collectively moved $6.14 million worth of USDC to Hyperliquid in the past seven hours, purchasing HYPE tokens during increased market volatility. One of the newly minted addresses stood out by contributing $1 million individually, purchasing 25,507 HYPE tokens at an average price of $39.20, a strong entrance before major protocol milestones.

4 wallets deposited 6.14M $USDC to Hyperliquid to buy $HYPE 7 hours ago.

Wallets:
0x2615482299998de7DB726c34f9a14d9546009697
0xe644C02bFB9f4bf0256F3335a120Cd5f2d3C0402
0xFC82B4225120Db7C257AD8c69A8CF07319BFB88b
0x721Cedd6Fe743eBd0AC84fED7e09503dBaB22072 pic.twitter.com/lgOqdx9ZaZ

As of this writing, HYPE traded at $39.11, had a 24-hour volume of more than $230 million, and shows renewed interest among investors and more action. It had recorded a 24-hour 5.35% gain and 3.93% on the week, which reflects a trend toward gradual growth regardless of broader uncertainty throughout the market.

Such an acquisition strategy has occurred when there has also been an ongoing unstaking of tokens of more than 1 million HYPE tokens, which are approximately valued at $40 million. Particularly, three whale addresses had unstaked 847,000 tokens, indicating a likely partnership.

Analysts believe that is due to the imminent July 15 launch of the Kinetiq platform, which introduces liquid staking and validator scoring through iHYPE. It will witness tokens being re-staked into the new arrangement rather than being sold off.

Kinetiq’s launch is a landmark event for Hyperliquid. It also has institutional partners lined up, such as FlowDesk and IMC Trading, which means all is set for broader adoption and professional-grade staking procedures. The unstaking process takes place within a seven-day window after the launch of Kinetiq, which helps affirm the hypothesis that whales are preparing for the switch.

Hyperliquid Nears $42 as Phantom Wallet Boosts DeFi Access

Adding to the momentum, Phantom Wallet also onboarded Hyperliquid’s perpetual trading abilities recently, bringing derivatives directly to EU citizens’ wallets. As part of that, such onboarding through Hyperliquid’s API maintains non-custodial control and elevates HYPE’s usability in DeFi circles.

Introducing: Phantom Perps 👻 ♾️

Go long or short in just a few taps.

100+ markets. Up to 40x leverage. All in your pocket.

Powered by @HyperliquidX pic.twitter.com/YDKjUGBdEn

Technical indicators also reflect that there’s a potentially explosive movement awaiting us. According to Coinglass, Hyperliquid’s liquidation map depicts that HYPE trades just below a large group of short positions. When that price rises above the barrier of $42, there’s a potential short squeeze that will more than likely liquidate short positions totaling over $6 million.

However, downside pressure appears to be negligible, and long liquidation options are very few below $32. Such one-sidedness, coupled with whale builds and future restaking moves, points more towards strategic repositioning and not towards exiting a market.

Overall, they are a reflection of advancing faith in Hyperliquid’s roadmap and the growing prominence of its staking ecosystem. As it moves towards Kinetiq’s launch, market players are eagerly expecting the next big thing, whether it’s a short squeeze or institutional staking surge.