Solana funds, worth $35 million, held by Alameda Research for over four years, now ready for release - possible impending disbursement?
Alameda Research Unstakes $35 Million in Solana: Market Implications
Alameda Research, the sister company of the now-defunct FTX exchange, has recently unstaked around $35 million worth of Solana (SOL) tokens that had been locked since late 2020 [1][2][4]. This move has sparked significant market interest, as Alameda's historical ties to the FTX scandal have raised concerns about the potential impact on Solana's market activity.
The unstaked SOL tokens have been moved out of staking but have not been sold yet. However, the large-scale unstaking is viewed as a potential prelude to distribution or selling, which could exert selling pressure on SOL’s price, especially around key support levels like $170 [1][4].
The potential impact on Solana's market activity includes:
- Increased sell-off risk: The synchronized whale activity and Alameda's unstaking raise concerns about coordinated large-scale selling that could push prices below important technical supports such as $170, risking a more pronounced downward correction [1][4].
- Market sentiment influence: Given Alameda Research’s notorious history linked to the FTX scandal, movements of its SOL reserves are under scrutiny as signals for creditor asset liquidations, which may weigh on short-term sentiment [2][4].
- Price consolidation and institutional dynamics: Despite the selling pressure signals, broader Solana ecosystem health remains strong with ongoing institutional accumulation (e.g., $270 million in new positions recently), growing total value locked (TVL), and pending U.S. staking ETF approvals expected to inject liquidity, potentially moderating volatility [5].
In summary, the unstaked Solana from Alameda Research currently presents a notable selling overhang and market risk in the short term but exists amid broader balanced forces of institutional accumulation and ecosystem growth, making Solana's near-term price trajectory particularly sensitive to whether the $170 critical support holds [1][5].
Meanwhile, the contrast in price momentum between Solana and Ethereum is notable, with Ethereum showing stronger price momentum recently, leading some analysts to call the current market phase "Ethereum season" [3]. As of August 2025, Solana is trading at $174.64, down 4.39%, and is currently holding above both the 50-week and 100-week SMAs, a bullish signal [3].
However, Solana has been consolidating below the $200 level since February, unable to break through this key resistance despite maintaining strong network activity [3]. The recent unstaking of SOL by Alameda Research has fueled speculation among traders and analysts about potential future market activity involving SOL.
An important question raised by Arkham Intelligence is whether these funds will be returned to FTX creditors [2]. Some view the transfer as a potential signal of forthcoming market activity involving SOL. The collapse of Alameda and FTX in late 2022 marked one of the largest scandals in crypto history [2].
Sources: [1] https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/12/solana-price-analysis-sol-holds-above-key-support-as-alameda-unstakes-35-million-in-tokens/ [2] https://decrypt.co/91939/alameda-research-unstakes-35-million-in-solana-as-questions-remain-over-ftx-assets [3] https://www.investing.com/crypto/solana/solana-price-forecast/solana-price-forecast-price-prediction-and-analysis [4] https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/10/alameda-research-unstakes-35-million-in-solana-tokens-as-crypto-market-treads-water/ [5] https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/13/solana-price-analysis-sol-holds-above-key-support-as-institutional-accumulation-continues/
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