Grayscale Sees HYPE Undervalued as Institutional Unstaking Weighs

Citrini Research, whose February 2026 report betting against the AI boom triggered a cross-market selloff, has turned its attention to decentralized perpetual futures exchange Hyperliquid. Its investment thesis holds that HYPE is not priced solely on hype: trading fees generate cash flow, while buybacks link trading volume to demand for the token.

On June 8, 2026, Citrini Research identified Hyperliquid and HYPE as compelling investments. The platform generates about $1.06 billion in annualized fees and recorded roughly $220 billion in perpetual futures trading volume over the past 30 days. More than 90% of fees flow into the Assistance Fund, which has repurchased over $2 billion worth of HYPE since launching in January 2025.

Hyperliquid is a platform centered on decentralized perpetual-contract trading, with HYPE serving both governance and ecosystem functions. Expectations for a U.S. spot ETF and institutional adoption have risen in 2026. Bitwise also plans to allocate 10% of its ETF product's management fees to purchases of HYPE, creating expectations of sustained demand. Grayscale-linked wallets have increased their holdings at the same time, making capital flows an important indicator to watch in the token's rally.

As of July 19, 2026, HYPE had broken above $60, $66 and $67 in succession, repeatedly setting record highs. It had gained more than 70% since the start of the year, while its market capitalization surpassed Dogecoin's. In addition to ETF inflows and Grayscale's accumulation, HypeStrat's HYPE position generated $1 billion in unrealized profit, placing it among the leading digital-asset treasury companies. By contrast, Bitmine had an unrealized loss of about $8 billion, highlighting the performance gap between different token allocations.

Hyperliquid began as a decentralized perpetual futures platform and has expanded into spot trading, lending and asset issuance. Crypto asset manager Bitwise says viewing it solely as a niche derivatives exchange overlooks its potential to become a global financial-market “super app,” as well as the value of the HYPE token within the platform’s economy.

As of July 2026, HYPE had risen 77% year to date, but Bitwise still called it one of the most mispriced assets in crypto. The firm estimates that Hyperliquid’s annualized revenue could reach $1 billion. With HYPE ETF filings and market interest gaining momentum, investors are focusing on whether its valuation reflects its trading volume and product expansion.

Hyperliquid is a decentralized exchange focused on onchain perpetual contracts, and HYPE is its native token. Its value is closely tied to the platform’s trading volume, revenue and market adoption. Concentrated buying by a wallet linked to Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has drawn attention because backing from a major venture capital firm could bolster market confidence, though the wallet’s ownership remains an assessment by onchain analytics firms.

On May 18, 2026, Lookonchain said the 0xb5E4 wallet, which it linked to a16z, bought another 372,000 HYPE worth about $16.91 million within three hours. Since April 14, it has accumulated 2.11 million HYPE worth about $90.87 million. A cup-and-handle pattern is forming on the three-day chart. A breakout above the $45–$47 neckline would point to a technical target of $71–$72, implying a potential gain of about 55%.