Driving Forces Behind Sui Growth Recently

The expansion observed in the Sui ecosystem is not merely a result of isolated successes but rather a complex strategy. The rising activity and user adoption, coupled with the robust technological underpinning, make Sui an attractive target for strategic partnerships and institutional investment, further legitimizing the network and fueling additional growth. 

This creates a powerful cycle where each sector strengthens and accelerates the others, leading to a more resilient and sustainable growth trajectory. 

DeFi Ecosystem Expansion and Market Performance

Sui Total Value Locked (TVL) Surge

Defi on Sui has experienced significant growth, with its Total Value Locked (TVL) surging from approximately $25 million at its May 2023 launch to approximately $1.7 billion by May 2025. This increase has positioned Sui as the third-largest non-EVM chain by TVL and marked it the 8th largest blockchain overall, surpassing established competitors like Aptos, Cardano, and Polygon.

Further data shows that TVL reached $1.739 billion by June 2025 and even marked $2.1 billion following a partnership with Microsoft in May 2025. This rapid growth, including a tenfold increase from around $100 million in late 2023 to over $1.5 billion in late 2024, showcases sustained capital inflow.

A surge in TVL is crucial, signaling growing trust in a network’s security and viability. It reflects increasing willingness from users, and institutions to commit capital inflow, providing deep liquidity for DeFi applications such as DEXs and lending protocols. This creates a positive feedback loop: higher TVL attracts more users and developers, further boosting TVL. Sui’s rapid TVL ascent demonstrates its technological innovations are translating into significant economic activity, vital for long-term ecosystem health.

Stablecoin and DEX Volume Growth

The DeFi ecosystem on Sui is experiencing a boom, driven by explosive stablecoin volume and activity. Stablecoin volume increased from $400 million in January to approximately $1.2 billion by May 2025, with monthly transfers exceeding $70 billion. The stablecoin market cap doubled since early 2025, surpassing $1.1 billion.

This surge is important because stablecoins are the lifeblood of DeFi, enabling efficient trading, lending, and payments without volatility. High stablecoin liquidity attracts institutional participation and facilitates Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization, providing a stable medium for value exchange.

Source: DefiLlama

Besides, cumulative DEX volume on Sui has surpassed $110 billion, with daily averages around $250 million, occasionally spiking to more than $800 million. The increasing presence of Bitcoin-pegged assets (wBTC, LBTC, stBTC), now constituting approximately 10% of locked value, diversifies assets and broadens investor appeal beyond speculation. This trend shows Sui as a robust, liquid platform for practical financial applications, moving it closer to mainstream and institutional adoption.

For more: Sui’s DeFi Ecosystem: Rapid Growth and Strategic Positioning

SUI Token Performance

Sui’s native token, SUI, has demonstrated remarkable market strength. In early March 2025, SUI was trading around $1.58, showing an 11% monthly increase. It later surged to an all-time high above $5 during recent market rallies before stabilizing near $3.20. Currently, SUI is priced at nearly $2.7.

Source: Coingecko

This performance is underscored by a market capitalization of $9.4 billion and a Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) of $27.7 billion. Such metrics highlight growing investor confidence and heightened market interest in the Sui blockchain.

Beyond mere speculation, SUI’s sustained upward trend and substantial market cap serve as a powerful market signal. They reflect increasing investor confidence and positive market sentiment, which often show underlying fundamental growth in technology, user adoption, and ecosystem development. 

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Investors are actively committing capital, betting on the future utility and widespread adoption of SUI, intrinsically linked to the network’s expanding the DeFi sector, gaming & NFT, and enterprise applications. This positive market perception creates a self-reinforcing cycle, attracting more attention and liquidity, providing capital for ecosystem development, and enhancing Sui’s overall visibility and attractiveness in the broader crypto market.

Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Confidence

Sui’s growth has been boosted by its ability to forge strategic partnerships and attract institutional interest, signaling increasing confidence in its technology and long-term viability.

Key Collaborations

Sui’s recent growth is significantly boosted by a series of strategic partnerships and engagements from institutions. This is crucial for bridging the gap between decentralized and traditional finance.

Such collaborations with World Liberty Financial (WLFI) aim to integrate blockchain solutions for digital asset management and gaming (e.g., CODE OF JOKER: EVOLUTIONS), which positively impacts SUI’s price and trading volume. Enhancing network security is a priority, evidenced by the partnership between Sui Foundation and Blockaid, fostering trust and wider adoption.

BREAKING — we’re extremely excited to announce a partnership with @worldlibertyfi, a Donald J. Trump-inspired pioneering DeFi protocol, rooted in a shared vision for a more open and transparent financial world.

As part of this collaboration:


WLFI will include SUI in their… pic.twitter.com/7J1gB0EbS4

— Sui (@SuiNetwork) March 6, 2025

Crucially, alliances with major players such as Fireblocks (a leading institutional crypto platform) and 21Shares (a major crypto ETP provider) signal strong institutional confidence. These partnerships drive Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization and integrate Sui with TradFi, seeking regulated pathways for large-scale institutional capital.

Leading exchanges like Binance, OKX, Bybit… have expanded support for SUI, including staking and trading features, boosting accessibility and liquidity. A Microsoft partnership in May 2025 was directly linked to a significant surge in TVL to $2.1 billion, underscoring the impact of major tech collaborations.

These efforts are vital for legitimizing Sui, attracting more user attention and boosting liquidity, and positioning it as a serious contender for enterprise-grade solutions and mainstream financial applications.

For more: Top 5 Best Airdrop Projects on SUI

Institutional Interest & ETF Filings

Sui is gaining significant institutional traction, highlighted by Canary Capital seeking SEC approval for a $SUI ETF. This critical move could integrate SUI into mainstream investment portfolios. This strategic filing coincides with Sui reaching a remarkable $70 billion in cumulative decentralized exchange (DEX) volume, showcasing robust network activity that reinforces institutional confidence.

Market speculation for a spot SUI ETF approval shows further optimism, potentially unlocking new institutional investment venues and liquidity. Prominent industry leaders like Charles Hoskinson have publicly lauded Sui’s innovative architecture, positioning it as a credible alternative to platforms like Solana. 

Reading about Sui. It’s good to see George’s work come to life. They deserve great success in the space

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 4, 2024

Notably, some recent reports indicate institutional investment flows into SUI have surpassed those of Solana. This signaled a distinct shift in institutional preference and strengthened Sui’s competitive standing in the blockchain landscape.  

Ecosystem Development and Community Engagement

Developer Growth and Incentives

Sui has experienced a rapid increase in the numbers of developers building on its platform, largely attributed to its unique Move programming language. This offers enhanced security and efficiency compared to Solidity. The Sui Foundation actively supports and incentivizes developers and builders through a comprehensive suite of programs:

• Grants: The Sui Foundation funds grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, with $4.7 million already attributed to 86 projects. These grants support open-source initiatives, projects enhancing Sui’s ecosystem (DeFi, gaming, analytics), and innovative applications leveraging Sui’s unique features.  

Source: Sui Grants

• Academic Research Awards: Fixed $25,000 USD grants expected to fund research that pushes the boundaries of Sui and Web3 technology.  
• Request for Proposals (RFPs): Funding is provided for proposals that fulfill specific needs identified within the Sui ecosystem, ensuring targeted development.  
• Ecosystem Programs: including Sui Founders Hub, Sui Mariner Network, Sui Hydropower Accelerator.  
• Hackathons: New projects stand out in Sui hackathons have the opportunity to qualify for grant funding, fostering innovation and talent discovery.  
• Ecosystem Incubators: Teams within the Sui ecosystem offer incubators that provide technical, operational, and business advice, along with accelerated grant funding.

By providing tools, documentation, financial incentives, and dedicated mentorship, Sui effectively lowers the barrier to entry for dApp creation and innovation. This approach is supreme for bootstrapping a new blockchain ecosystem. Consequently, the quality and quantity of dApps directly correlate with the vibrancy of the developer ecosystem. 

This strategic investment in its developer base positions Sui as an attractive platform for innovation, fostering a wide range of applications across DeFi, gaming, and NFTs. It creates a self-sustaining cycle where more developers lead to more dApps, which in turn attracts more users, further enticing developers. 

This long-term commitment to nurturing the Sui builder community is a strong indicator of sustainable growth, distinguishing it from projects relying solely on speculative hype. 

For more: Best Sui Gaming and NFT Ecosystem

Community Building Initiatives

Sui actively shows a robust and engaged community through various social channels: It encourages active participation from its members via forums, diverse social media channels, and organized events. 

This engagement is crucial for building a sense of belonging and provides invaluable feedback to the development team, often leading to community-driven initiatives and platform enhancements. 

Source: Sui Builder Vietnam

The Sui Crypto project invests significantly in educational resources, including workshops, webinars, and tutorials, designed to demystify blockchain technology and guide new users on how to effectively navigate the ecosystem. This educational focus is key to driving adoption and empowering users. 

Furthermore, Sui has specifically organized many events, especially in Vietnam, to attract and engage local users and developers. These localized efforts, alongside global hackathons and builder houses, underscore Sui’s commitment to building a truly global and active community. This multifaceted approach ensures continuous feedback, widespread education, and strong local presence, all vital for sustained growth. 

Source: Sui Vietnam

Sui’s remarkable recent growth is a compelling testament to a strategy that combines the foundational technological innovation, a rapidly expanding and highly liquid DeFi ecosystem, impactful strategic institutional partnerships, and a vibrant, actively nurtured community. 

Furthermore, these interconnected and mutually reinforcing drivers collectively mark Sui as a formidable Layer-1 blockchain. Consequently, Sui is exceptionally well-equipped for sustained expansion and to carve out a dominant role in the evolving Web3 ecosystem.

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