- Grayscale and Canary Capital launch first SUI staking ETFs, offering regulated exposure with integrated rewards.
- Sui network achieves over 6 million TPS in testnet and 240 million active accounts, showcasing scalability.
- SUI price hovers near $0.93 amid bearish sentiment, but long-term predictions range from $4 to $18 by 2030.
- Key 2026 developments include Coinbase staking, confidential transfers, and Hashi protocol for Bitcoin liquidity.
The Sui blockchain, built by former Meta engineers, is making waves in the crypto space with its object-centric architecture and the Move programming language. Designed for high throughput and low latency, Sui processes transactions in parallel, enabling it to handle over 6 million transactions per second during a recent public mainnet test. This technical edge has attracted a growing ecosystem, with Total Value Locked (TVL) reportedly exceeding $2 billion by late 2025, up from under $500 million earlier. The network now boasts around 240 million active accounts and a daily transfer volume peaking at $40 million, according to Token Terminal data.
On the market front, SUI’s native token is trading near $0.93, down from its 2024 highs above $5. Despite a persistent downtrend, the launch of two staking ETFs — Grayscale’s GSUI and Canary Capital’s SUIS — has opened a regulated gateway for institutional and retail investors. These products allow users to earn staking rewards without managing private keys, marking a significant step for altcoin adoption beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Sui’s Technical Foundation and Ecosystem Growth
Sui’s core innovation lies in its object-centric data model, where assets, data, and permissions are natively ownable and programmable. The Sui Stack provides a modular toolkit for developers, enabling scalable applications without typical blockchain trade-offs. This design has fueled growth in DeFi, gaming, and institutional use cases. On-chain metrics reveal that asset transfer volume totaled $921 million over 90 days, with an average of 345,200 transfers per day. The network’s TPS has steadily increased past 700, while active accounts surged from 8.6 million in January 2024 to 240 million by June 2026, indicating strong adoption.
In the DeFi space, Sui’s liquidity protocol Deepbook now supports margin trading, and the integration of the eSui Dollar ($suiUSDe) brings a yield-bearing synthetic dollar to the ecosystem. Additionally, Coinbase has adopted the Sui token standard, expanding its reach to millions of US users. These developments position Sui as a serious contender in the Layer-1 race, competing with Solana and Ethereum.
Key Developments and Partnerships in 2026
Several major events have shaped Sui’s trajectory in 2026. On July 22, Coinbase officially launched native staking support for SUI, allowing retail users to earn automated rewards with a minimum of just one token. Earlier in July, Sui introduced Confidential Transfers in public beta, a compliance-friendly privacy feature that sets it apart from other L1s. The network also integrated Meta’s Muse Spark model into AI-powered trading platform Beep, enabling real-time strategy competition between AI models.
In June, Sui announced the Hashi protocol, backed by BitGo, FalconX, and Ledger, to unlock over $1 trillion in idle Bitcoin as DeFi collateral. The protocol uses multi-party computation and regulated pricing layers for secure BTC-backed credit. Additionally, institutional giants like Cumberland, SwissBorg, and Fluid joined Hashi ahead of its global testnet launch. Token Terminal also partnered with Sui to provide real-time financial and usage metrics, enhancing transparency for the community.
SUI Staking ETFs: A New Era for Institutional Access
The launch of Grayscale’s GSUI and Canary Capital’s SUIS ETFs on NYSE Arca and Nasdaq respectively represents a paradigm shift. These funds track SUI’s spot price while incorporating staking rewards into the net asset value, offering a dual return structure of price appreciation and yield. Grayscale’s GSUI charges a 0.35% management fee, waived for the first three months or until $1 billion in assets, and uses Bank of New York Mellon for administration and Coinbase as custodian. Canary Capital’s SUIS similarly provides regulated exposure with professional custody.
For traditional investors, these ETFs eliminate the complexities of direct staking — no need to manage validators, worry about slashing, or handle private keys. The liquidity of ETF shares, tradable intraday, also avoids the unbonding periods typical of direct staking. However, risks remain: the underlying SUI token is highly volatile, and an upcoming token unlock of 43.35 million SUI on March 1, 2026, could add selling pressure. Regulatory changes and network competition also pose challenges.
SUI Price Analysis and Market Outlook
SUI’s price action in 2026 has been bearish, with the token breaking below the $0.80 support in June and hitting a low of $0.66. Currently trading at $0.93, it remains under its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Technical indicators like the RSI below 50 and negative Chaikin Money Flow suggest weak momentum. The immediate resistance lies at $1.05, with a break above $1.20 needed for a sustained recovery. If the $0.66 support fails, a drop to the $0.35–$0.50 zone is possible, which represents a key accumulation area from early 2024.
Looking ahead, price predictions vary by year. For 2027, analysts forecast a range of $4 to $8, with potential highs of $12 in 2028 and $16 in 2029. By 2030, SUI could trade between $12 and $18, assuming continued ecosystem growth and market recovery. Longer-term projections for 2040 and 2050 suggest prices could reach $40 and $150 respectively, though these are highly speculative. The success of the staking ETFs and Sui’s ability to execute its roadmap will be critical in determining whether these targets materialize.
Despite the near-term headwinds, Sui’s technological foundation and growing institutional interest provide a solid base. The network’s focus on privacy, scalability, and developer tools, combined with regulated investment vehicles, could drive adoption in the coming years. Investors should weigh the potential of Sui’s object-centric model against the competitive landscape and market volatility.
