Sui Surges 44% in July Outpacing Major Layer 1 Blockchains

Sui (SUI) has experienced a significant surge in July, with its price increasing by 44% to trade near $3.90. This performance has outpaced all major Layer 1 blockchains, making it a standout performer in the cryptocurrency market. The SUI/BTC ratio posted its strongest intraday gain in over two months, up 10.14%, indicating that capital is specifically rotating into SUI rather than following Bitcoin's momentum.

SUI’s market cap has jumped 44.7% since the beginning of July, far outpacing Ethereum’s 9.2% rise during the same timeframe. The token is up more than 30% on the week, closely tracking Bitcoin’s own 10% breakout. Price action shows SUI jumping 13.52% in a single day to trade at $3.96, approaching the key $4 supply wall that has previously served as resistance. Every Bitcoin rebound this cycle has been followed by sharp green candles on SUI’s daily chart.

What makes this rally particularly noteworthy is that SUI isn’t just riding on price momentum. Its Total Value Locked (TVL) just hit an all-time high of $2.219 billion, pointing to real ecosystem traction and user adoption. This high TVL indicates more capital is being deployed into SUI’s DeFi protocols. Users aren’t just chasing price action but are locking value into the chain, signaling deeper ecosystem engagement. DeFi TVL on Sui has risen an impressive 480% to reach current levels, supported by protocols like NAVI and Cetus that are gaining traction with users.

Beyond TVL growth, SUI is attracting real liquidity, fueling a 42% jump in monthly fees to $42,000 – double the growth rate of Ethereum during the same window. Recent developments show increasing institutional interest in the Sui blockchain. On July 10, 2025, Sui experienced a 128.51% volume surge alongside a 9.12% price increase after Bluefin launched high-frequency trading (HFT) capabilities tailored for institutional traders.

Earlier this month, the unlocking of 44 million SUI tokens (1.3% of its circulating supply) introduced $122.3 million into the market. While token unlocks can sometimes create selling pressure, this event appears to have been neutral in impact and provides additional liquidity for ecosystem development. The integration of tBTC and Peg-BTC is enhancing Sui’s DeFi ecosystem, further attracting both retail and institutional participants to the platform.

Technical indicators support the bullish case, with SUI trading above all major moving averages. The RSI stands at 71.90, showing strong upward momentum despite being in overbought territory. For traders watching key levels, the $4.00 mark represents immediate resistance, while $3.90 serves as the current pivot point with stronger support at $2.55. If SUI breaks above the $4 resistance level, analysts see a path toward $5 by Q3 2025, supported by the growing DeFi TVL and increasing institutional interest.

The coming weeks will be crucial for SUI as it attempts to break through the key $4 supply zone where selling pressure has previously halted its upside. The question remains whether this resistance will stall its L1 dominance or if the strong fundamentals will push it to new heights. SUI’s price is now trading at $3.89, up 1.80% in the last 24 hours, as momentum continues to build in this emerging Layer 1 contender.