Vested Token Supply

Overview

Meaning and scope

Vested Token Supply is the portion of token allocations for which beneficiaries have satisfied the applicable time, service, milestone, or other vesting conditions and have earned the contractual right to the tokens. Vested does not always mean unlocked or circulating because vested tokens can remain subject to transfer locks, claim procedures, staking, custody, or voluntary holding.

How it works

Operationally, reporting should reconcile legal vesting terms, on-chain vesting contracts, claim status, beneficiary categories, accelerated or forfeited amounts, unlocked balances, and changes caused by amendments or terminations. The principal risks are that combining vested, unlocked, and circulating supply into one figure can misstate both beneficiary rights and near-term market availability.

Operational checks and limits

Vested supply represents tokens for which vesting conditions have been met, though transfer restrictions or custody locks may still apply. Define the vesting plan and measurement date.

Practical example

At month twelve, half of an employee’s token grant has vested but part remains subject to a separate transfer lock.

Distinctions

Vested describes earned entitlement; unlocked describes whether restrictions on movement have been lifted.

How to evaluate it

Supply and release figures are meaningful only with a definition and a measurement point; for Vested Token Supply, distinguish what has been minted, what may ever be created, what can be transferred now, and what remains subject to vesting or contractual restrictions. When evaluating Vested Token Supply, compare reported numbers at the same block or reporting date; otherwise an apparent discrepancy may be a difference in timing or measurement basis rather than an accounting error. Related concepts: Unvested Token Supply; Unlocked Token Supply; Token Vesting Cliff.