FTX Unlocks $21.5 Million in SOL Amid Market Recovery

After last week's losses, the token rose 3% in the last 24 hours to trade at $117.65. Even as $21.5 million worth of SOL entered the market

Key Highlights

* FTX unlocked $21.5 million in SOL, which quickly bounced, rising 3% to $117.65.

* Liquidations are ongoing, but SOL’s resilience and recovery efforts are being supported by consistent network activity and strong market demand.

* FTX, the bankrupt exchange, unlocked and moved 186,326 SOL, or roughly $21.5 million, on April 11, 2025, as part of the court-approved liquidation strategy.

According to the latest data from blockchain analytics firm Artemis, the move was part of FTX’s broader effort to offload digital assets following its collapse last year. The Delaware Bankruptcy Court has permitted FTX to sell up to $200 million in cryptocurrencies weekly.

Between the start of 2024 and the present, FTX and its sister company, Alameda Research, have unstaked and moved more than 18.66 million SOL. According to historical market prices, this SOL is valued between $2.33 billion and $3.43 billion. The liquidations are a part of a wider attempt to repay creditors while avoiding shocks to the digital asset markets.

While large unlocks can exert pressure on Solana’s price, the April transaction was relatively small. In contrast, the March 2025 unlock involved 11.2 million SOL and resulted in a price drop of over 20%. However, within days, the market stabilized, suggesting that smaller releases might be absorbed with less disruption.

Solana Price Shows Strength as Bulls Test Key Resistance

Despite the ongoing liquidations, Solana’s price has shown resilience. Following last week’s losses, the token increased by 3% over the past 24 hours to reach $117.65. This recovery occurred despite the introduction of $21.5 million in SOL into the market.

As highlighted by technical analysis, the cryptocurrency is now testing a crucial resistance level at $125. At this point, a descending trendline converges with a horizontal resistance zone, which is being closely monitored by many traders.

“Eyes on SOL, really nice bounce, pushing hard on the main downtrend resistance confluence with the horizontal level at $125,” Crypto Rand noted in a recent post.

If the momentum continues, further gains could be in store for Solana. A breakthrough above the $125 zone could pave the way for a substantial price rally.

However, it’s worth mentioning that Solana has been heading downward over the last three months from its local highs above $200 in early 2025. Despite the decline, there is still interest from both retail and institutional participants in each recovery attempt.

Solana Network Activity Remains High Despite Price Correction

Despite the price drop, daily active addresses on the Solana network have remained stable. According to Artemis’s data, daily users were around 6.8 million at the beginning of the year, reaching 8 million mid-January.

Since then, there has been a gradual decline in daily active addresses, but they are still averaging between 3 and 5 million per day.

This level of activity at this point indicates that the Solana ecosystem is still active and engaged. It also suggests strong user adoption, which helps absorb tokens being sold into the market. As more projects are being built on Solana and the number of developers is growing, the network’s utility keeps attracting use even during price corrections.

Moreover, total value locked (TVL) is recovering from the lows of 2023. Before correcting, the TVL hit over $10 billion in early 2025. The ecosystem demand is now stabilizing, which is in line with the argument that ecosystem demand can help balance the supply of liquidation.

Solana Futures Market Is Cooling But Remains Active

Solana’s futures market has also shifted. According to Coinglass, open interest in SOL futures dropped from around $8 billion in January 2025 to less than $3 billion in April. Traders appear to be more cautious as open interest fell alongside volatility tied to token unlocks.

Still, the futures market remains active and liquid. Although the volume has decreased, as of early April, futures traders were still closely tracking SOL’s price movements. Lower open interest might also reduce the risk of sharp price swings due to liquidation cascades, allowing spot buyers to intervene during downturns.

As FTX continues its asset sales, the market has had time to adjust to structured and capped liquidation—no more than $200 million per week. Solana has shown the ability to recover quickly even during periods of heightened liquidation activity.