Helium (HNT)
Unlock Schedule
Helium (HNT) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
The unlock chart above provides a clear visual overview of the Helium (HNT) token release schedule, showing when and how tokens enter circulation across investor, team, treasury, and community allocations. Understanding these tokenomics dynamics is critical for evaluating potential supply pressure, inflation impact, and market liquidity over time — key factors that can influence HNT price performance.
Each color segment in the chart corresponds to a specific allocation group described in the Allocations section below. Underlying assumptions and data models used to reconstruct this schedule are explained in detail under Assumptions, while broader utility insights and token use cases are covered in Tokenomics & Utility.
Tokenomics & Utility
Helium tokenomics are designed to reward builders today while aligning HNT with long‑term network usage.
- Supply and halving: HNT launched in July 2019 with a two‑year halving schedule. The current schedule targets an initial max supply of roughly 223 million HNT due to slower Year‑1 issuance, with halvings continuing through 2028. Emissions decreased again on August 1, 2025, per the published schedule. (docs.helium.com)
- Burn‑and‑mint equilibrium: HNT is burned to mint DC for network usage. As DC demand grows, the protocol offsets reward needs through “Net Emissions,” a capped mechanism that can re‑emit a portion of burned HNT while respecting the max supply target. (docs.helium.com)
- Unified rewards (HIP‑138): Since January 2025, all network participants earn HNT directly. Legacy IOT/MOBILE tokens remain redeemable via their treasuries, but new emissions of those tokens have ceased. This simplifies Helium tokenomics and concentrates utility in one asset. (support.hellohelium.com)
- Governance and staking (veHNT): HNT holders can lock tokens to mint veHNT and vote on Helium Improvement Proposals (HIPs) and release proposals. Delegating veHNT to network domains (IoT or Mobile) guides treasury allocations and can share in rewards, with parameters defined by HIP‑51 and later refined by HIP‑141. (docs.helium.com)
In practice, Helium tokenomics connect activity to value: builders earn HNT for delivering coverage and data transfer; developers and enterprises burn HNT to DC to use the network; stakers coordinate incentives and roadmap. This closed loop is what people often mean by “Helium tokenomics” when they discuss HNT price drivers. (docs.helium.com)
Assumptions
- No premine/genesis allocation existed for HNT.
Official docs state first HNT was emitted on July 29, 2019 and explicitly note there was no pre-mine.
- Maximum supply modeled as ~223,000,000 HNT.
HIP-20 set a two-year halving schedule; slow block times in Year 1 reduced issuance by ~17M from the original 240M plan; official docs cite ~223M max.
- Year 1 issuance modeled as 43,000,000 HNT.
Docs specify ~17M less than 60M target; we allocate 43M with monthly linear distribution to match the reduced max. Exact historical mint was approximate; this aligns aggregate supply with ~223M.
- Post-migration (2023-04-18) emissions continue per HIP-20 on Solana.
Migration moved HNT to Solana with Rewards Oracles handling distribution; the halving schedule and emission totals are unchanged.
- Net Emissions (burn-and-mint equilibrium) are not modeled as a separate allocation here.
Net Emissions re-emit burned HNT up to a daily cap without increasing the max supply. Actual amounts vary with DC burns; to avoid double-counting and because they do not change the cap, they should be overlaid via observed burn/remint data when rendering, not as a separate fixed allocation in the release schedule.
- From January 2025 (HIP-138), IOT and MOBILE emissions cease and rewards are in HNT.
HIP-138 shifts rewards back to HNT; this does not alter the total HNT emission schedule but changes distribution recipients.
- Within each linear period, emissions are modeled as evenly distributed per month.
Protocol targets monthly issuance rates; monthly linear modeling provides the required granularity for charting.
- 1. https://docs.helium.com/tokens/hnt-token/
- 2. https://docs.helium.com/solana/migration/
- 3. https://docs.helium.com/solana/migration/hotspot-operator
- 4. https://docs.helium.com/oracles/rewards-oracles/
- 5. https://github.com/helium/HIP/issues/1120
- 6. https://www.helium.foundation/protocol-report
- 7. https://docs.helium.com/solana/migration/validator-operator/
- 8. https://www.helium.com/hnt