Aptos reduces monthly token issuance by 60% after vesting ends

Aptos has completed its four-year insider token vesting schedule, resulting in a significant reduction in scheduled APT issuance. As of October 12, 2026, the monthly release of tokens dropped by approximately 60%, falling from 11.31 million to roughly 4.54 million APT. This change follows the conclusion of the unlock cycle for initial investors and core contributors.

In conjunction with the reduced issuance, a broader tokenomics overhaul was implemented via on-chain governance. The Aptos Foundation has permanently staked 210 million APT, representing about 37% of its mainnet holdings. Additionally, the annual staking rewards were reduced from 5.19% to 2.6%, and gas fees were increased tenfold, with all fees being burned. A new hard cap of 2.1 billion APT has also been established.

Following these developments, the APT token saw a price increase of between 38.5% and 51% over a four-week period ending in mid-October, outpacing Bitcoin and Ether. However, data indicates a divergence in network activity, as the stablecoin market cap on the Aptos network fell by approximately 17.5% during the same period.