YZY tokens will be unlocked on August 16: 120.8 million tokens will be lifted

August 16, 2026: The lockup period for Kanye West's Meme Coin YZY ends

On Sunday, August 16, 2026, the lockup period for Kanye West's Meme Coin YZY ends. According to matching data from data platforms tokenomist.ai and unlocks.app, approximately 120.8 million tokens were unlocked, worth approximately US$35 million. The recipient is Yeezy Investments LLC, which already owns 70% of all YZY.

What really tells the story is another number: On August 15, 2026, YZY's transaction volume in 24 hours was only US$129,131. As a result, the value of unlocking on Sunday is equivalent to 271 times that of a normal trading day (based on CoinMarketCap data at 12:55 UTC).

This is not the basis for price forecasts, and no predictions will be given here. This is why it can be helpful to check the unlocking schedule before purchasing Meme coins. The case of YZY is particularly appropriate to illustrate this, as all data is public and fixed for several months.

Key Points

August 16, 2026 : According to the data platform, the lockup period ends and approximately 120.8 million YZY units are available.

Approximately US$35 million : Equivalent value at a price of US$0.2898 (CoinMarketCap, August 15, 2026 12:55 UTC).

US$129,131 : Total transaction volume in the previous 24 hours. The ratio is 1:271.

70% of 's total supply (1 billion YZY units) is held by Yeezy Investments LLC in three batches.

20%For open supply, another 10% is reserved for liquidity.

Cliff Unlock : Tokens are unlocked all at one time on a set date, rather than being released gradually.

Specific situation of YZY on August 16, 2026

Token unlocking is an event in the contract, not a market event. On a set date, previously locked tokens lose their locked status and become assets available to the recipient. Whether the recipient takes action is another matter entirely.

For YZY, approximately 120.8 million tokens were involved on Sunday. Both data platforms list the incident, but the details vary. Tokenomist.ai attributed the release to the "Yeezy Investments LLC Vesting1" batch. Summaries from multiple aggregation platforms show that the number is divided into three batches: 100 million for Vesting 3, 12.5 million for Vesting 1, and 8.33 million for Vesting 2. These numbers add up to exactly 120.83 million pieces, which is consistent with the headline number.

In terms of classification, this difference is irrelevant because all three batches belong to the same company. But this is not the case for due diligence: whoever obtains numbers from the data platform will also bear its attribution classification, which is unclear here.

Who owns 1 billion YZY

The total supply is fixed at 1 billion, divided into five parts. Three of the parts have the same name: Yeezy Investments LLC, with Vesting 1 accounting for 30%, and Vesting 2 and Vesting 3 accounting for 20%. The total is 70%, or 700 million coins.

The remaining 30% is divided into open supply (20%) and liquidity (10%). These 300 million tokens roughly correspond to the circulating supply reported by CoinMarketCap on August 15, 2026: 302.98 million tokens. The calculations match and show the structure more clearly than any description: all currently tradable tokens come from open supply and liquidity. The project company has not released any tokens so far.

This is the core of the structure and holds true regardless of the price: the largest holder determines the time of its own release, and that time is written into the contract.

Cliff unlocking: Why lock ends at one time

There are two basic forms of unlocking schedules. Under linear unlocking, tokens are released gradually over a period of time, usually in equal amounts daily or monthly. The market will gain stable inflows and be easy to model.

Cliff unlocking is different. Tokens are fully locked up before a set date and released in one time on that day. Tokenomist.ai clearly reported that the Yeezy batch fell into this form. This explains why individual dates are so important: Under linear unlocking, there would be no special day such as August 16, only a curve.

For readers, this is the first practical differentiation point. Projects that use cliff unlocking have a fixed date, and the available supply changes suddenly on this date. Projects that use linear unlocking do not. Both are listed in the unlocking schedule and can be viewed before purchasing.

Key figures: release versus transaction volume

Most reports on token unlocking cite only two numbers: the amount released and its dollar equivalent. Taken individually, neither is of great significance. $35 million is insignificant in a liquid market, but a completely different story in a illiquid market.

Therefore, the third number deserves attention. On August 15, 2026, CoinMarketCap reported that YZY's 24-hour trading volume was US$129,131 and its market value was US$87.8 million. The value released this time far exceeds the total market value of the circulating supply, which is 271 times the daily trading volume.

This ratio is the actual information. It describes relationships rather than events, and the ratio remains the same no matter how prices move before Sunday. That's why you should calculate this number yourself every time you unlock it.

Why are there differences in data platform percentages?

It gets a little tricky here, so we write it down honestly without disguising it. The two data platforms listed the release as 22.82% and 22.83% respectively, which unlocks.app clearly called as the proportion of circulating supply.

This number cannot be consistent with other data from these platforms themselves. Tokenomist.ai gave a circulation supply of 298.96 million units, and CoinMarketCap was 302.98 million units on August 15. Dividing 120.83 million pieces by these numbers yields 40.4% and 39.9% respectively, rather than 22.8%. In turn, the 22.82% share corresponds to approximately 68.2 million tokens, worth less than US$20 million at current prices, rather than US$35 million.

We cannot determine the reference base on which 22.82% is based. Anyone with precise information is welcome to contact our editorial team. Prior to this, the verifiable calculation results were as follows: approximately 120.8 million coins, compared with the circulation supply of 302.98 million coins, accounting for nearly 40%.

This lesson is broader than the case itself: Percentage without a clear reference base is not information. In unlock reports, it is the most frequently cited number and the least frequently verified number.

How to read the unlocking schedule by yourself

This process takes only a few minutes and is suitable for any token that maintains a schedule on any data platform.

First, check how the total supply is allocated. The key is not how many projects there are, but how much the project itself and its investors hold. When this ratio exceeds half, supply is dominated by contracts rather than markets.

Then, check the release form. A large number of single releases with a set date require a different focus than a smooth curve. Next, check when the next date is and how big the quantity is relative to the circulating supply, and calculate the ratio yourself, rather than directly using the percentage displayed by the platform.

Finally, the step that almost everyone skips: Compare the released value to 24-hour trading volume. Only this ratio can tell you whether the amount is huge for this particular market. How quickly this answer can be found was reflected on Pump.fun during the unlock week in mid-August. The same logic also supported World Liberty Financial's announcement of the unlock.

These numbers don't tell you what

unlocking is a release, not a sale. As of August 15, 2026, whether Yeezy Investments LLC will move these tokens, hold them or transfer out portions is unknown and cannot be deduced from the unlocking schedule. unlocks.app clearly pointed out this openness and listed two possibilities without making any commitments.

We hold the same position. Existing data is not enough to support statements about prices, even if they are packaged as problems. What can be explained is the relationship between numbers, which has been described above.

Integrity also needs to be noted: These numbers come from data platforms and not regulatory or audited company documents. We have not received any official statement from Yeezy Investments LLC regarding that date.

If you hold YZY or other Meme coins

For existing holders, the tax issue may be more important than the date. In Germany, cryptocurrencies held as private assets are subject to the one-year holding period of Article 23 of the Income Tax Law. For Meme coins and their sharp price fluctuations, the timing of sale is often more decisive than the entry price. Specific details are explained in our overview of tax rules for the sale of Meme coins. This is not a substitute for tax advice; position ends August 15, 2026.

If you are considering trading in this extremely illiquid market, the choice of trading venue is the second important point. Which service providers are authorized under the EU MiCA framework, as well as differences in fees and custody, have been explained in our comparison of cryptocurrency exchanges.

Points to check the next time a token is unlocked

Three steps are performed in this order, which applies to any token:

Check the allocation ratio. What percentage of total supply is the project and its investors hold? For YZY, this ratio is 70%, and this number is disclosed in the unlocking schedule.

Calculate the ratio itself. Divide the released amount by the circulating supply, and do not directly use the percentage displayed by the platform. For YZY, the difference is more than 17 percentage points.

Compare with trading volume. Link released value to 24-hour trading volume. For example, 271 times in this example, any statement about the market would be incomplete if it did not include this number.

FAQs

What is token unlocking? The lockup period stipulated in the contract ends. Previously locked tokens become assets available to the recipient at a set point in time. The event is known in advance and can be viewed on the data platform.

How many YZYs will be unlocked on August 16, 2026? According to tokenomist.ai and unlocks.app, approximately 120.8 million tokens are worth approximately US$35 million at the August 15, 2026 price. Platforms differ in how they attribute quantities to individual batches.

Does unlocking mean a drop in prices? No. Release does not mean sale. Whether and when released tokens are moved are entirely up to the recipient, and the unlocking schedule does not state this.

Why does the data platform show 22.8%, but this article shows close to 40%? Because 120.8 million tokens are divided by the circulation supply of 302.98 million, the result is 39.9%. The reference base on which 22.8% is based cannot be seen from the platform's own data. So we refer to traceable calculations.

Who owns the unlocked token? Yeezy Investments LLC, which holds 70% of the total supply in three batches.

Where can I find the unlocking schedule for tokens? On professional data platforms such as tokomist.ai or unlocks.app, for large projects, you can also view their own documentation. Always check whether the platform discloses its reference base.

Such dates occur repeatedly: two Yeezy batches of YZY still hold 40% of the total supply, while the next cliff unlock dates for many other projects have been written into contracts. We continue to track these dates and use the same three calculations for our evaluation.

Source

tokenomist.ai: YZY token economics and unlocking timetable (Allocation, Circulation Supply, Cliff Unlock, Accessed August 15, 2026)

unlocks.app: Weekly Unlock Summary, August 10 - 16, 2026 (Date, equivalent value, proportion figure, August 10, 2026)

CoinMarketCap: YZY price, market capitalization and trading volume (price 0.2898 US dollars, transaction volume 129,131 US dollars, circulation supply 302.98 million units, accessed at 12:55 UTC on August 15, 2026)

(as of August 15, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Price and fee structures will change; please confirm terms with your service provider before purchasing.)