Canary

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bullish

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USDsui

<h2 id="b-tldr-b">TLDR:</h2>
<ul>
 <li>SUI became only the fourth Layer-1 after BTC, ETH, and SOL to have CME futures listed in 2026.</li>
 <li>Three US staking ETFs from Grayscale, Canary Capital, and 21Shares expanded SUI’s institutional reach.</li>
 <li>SUI’s TVL drop from $2B to $500M reflects a 70% price decline, not capital leaving the ecosystem.</li>
 <li>Cumulative stablecoin transfers on SUI crossed $1 trillion in March, with a $500M baseline holding firm.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blockonomi.com/sui-blockchain-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-transaction-speed-security-and-institutional-defi/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">SUI blockchain</a> has continued to attract institutional investment and infrastructure development even as its token price dropped sharply from $5.35 to around $0.90. 
The network recorded 232 million total users and 1.5 billion cumulative transactions to date. Stablecoin transfers on the chain crossed $1 trillion cumulatively as of March 2026. 
These figures place SUI among a small group of blockchains that have maintained operational consistency through a broad market downturn.
<h2 id="b-institutional-access-and-infrastructure-expand-on-the-sui-network-b">Institutional Access and Infrastructure Expand on the SUI Network</h2>
SUI became only the fourth Layer-1 blockchain to have CME futures listed, joining Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. This move opened the door for institutional traders to gain exposure through regulated derivatives markets.
 Shortly after, SUI was listed as the fifth spot crypto ETP in February 2026, broadening its reach among traditional finance participants.
Three US-based staking ETFs from <a href="https://parameter.io/binance-coin-bnb-targets-700-as-grayscale-and-vaneck-submit-fresh-etf-filings/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Grayscale,</a> Canary Capital, and 21Shares were also launched around this period. These products allow investors to earn staking rewards without directly holding the token. 
Meanwhile, Nasdaq-listed company SUIG staked its full 108.7 million token treasury, marking a notable commitment from a publicly traded firm.
Analyst Michaël van de Poppe noted on X that this level of institutional layering rarely receives the attention it deserves.
<div class="embed-twitter">
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 SUI is one of the most under-discussed setups in crypto right now.
 While everyone was watching the price drop from $5.35 to ~$0.90, this is what was actually being built:
 → 5th spot crypto ETP listed (Feb 2026) → CME futures live; only the 4th L1 ever, after BTC, ETH, SOL →… <a href="https://t.co/4yZlDh0N1e" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://t.co/4yZlDh0N1e</a><a href="https://t.co/glH0xovdwO" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/glH0xovdwO</a>
 — Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) <a href="https://twitter.com/CryptoMichNL/status/2057125445032940000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">May 20, 2026</a>
 </blockquote>
</div>
He wrote that SUI is “one of the most under-discussed setups in crypto right now,” pointing to these developments as evidence of real infrastructure being put in place rather than speculative momentum.
The USDsui stablecoin also launched through Stripe’s Bridge subsidiary during this period. This added a native dollar-denominated asset to the SUI ecosystem backed by a regulated payments company.
<h2 id="b-network-metrics-reflect-stability-despite-tvl-and-price-decline-b">Network Metrics Reflect Stability Despite TVL and Price Decline</h2>
<a href="https://moneycheck.com/sui-network-tvl-rebounds-above-2-4b-as-liquidity-zones-take-shape/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">SUI’s total value locked</a> dropped from $2 billion to approximately $500 million. However, the underlying token lost roughly 70% of its value during the same period. 
This means the TVL contraction largely reflects price movement rather than capital exiting the ecosystem. The $500 million stablecoin baseline held through the drawdown, suggesting that dollar-denominated liquidity stayed within the network.
Network revenue has run consistently since the chain’s launch, according to van de Poppe’s analysis. He attributed reduced activity to broader market conditions rather than chain-specific failures. He stated that “every chain has had the same impact since October 10th, which destroyed all the markets.”
The Hashi bridge went live during this period, enabling native Bitcoin collateral without wrapping. Over 20 institutions committed to the protocol on its first day. 
The Mysticeti consensus upgrade also pushed checkpoint throughput from one to four per second, raising the <a href="https://coincentral.com/ethereum-price-prediction-eth-rallies-as-network-transactions-reach-all-time-high/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">network’s transaction</a> processing capacity.
Van de Poppe added that a bullish divergence on SUI’s Bitcoin trading pairs supports a case for accumulation at current levels. He described the current price zone as a mean-reversion area following an earlier breakout.
The post <a href="https://blockonomi.com/beyond-the-price-drop-how-sui-blockchain-kept-building-through-the-market-downturn/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Beyond the Price Drop: How SUI Blockchain Kept Building Through the Market Downturn</a> appeared first on <a href="https://blockonomi.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Blockonomi</a>.

Beyond the Price Drop: How SUI Blockchain Kept Building Through the Market Downturn

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