The Sui blockchain has rapidly evolved from an emerging Layer 1 contender into a mature, high-performance ecosystem poised to power the next wave of decentralized applications. With its innovative object-centric architecture, native Move programming language, and parallel execution engine, Sui delivers unmatched scalability and near-instant transaction finality. By 2025, it has firmly established itself among the top blockchain platforms, rivaling major networks like Solana in speed, cost-efficiency, and developer adoption.
This article explores the most promising projects built on Sui that are shaping the future of decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming (GameFi), data storage, and community-driven ecosystems. Whether you're an investor, developer, or Web3 enthusiast, understanding these key players is essential for navigating the expanding Sui landscape.
The Rise of Sui: A High-Performance Blockchain Ecosystem
Launched in 2022 by Mysten Labs, Sui stands out for its unique approach to blockchain design. Unlike traditional account-based models used by Ethereum or Binance Smart Chain, Sui treats digital assets as programmable objects. This fundamental shift enables more expressive smart contracts, enhanced security, and—most importantly—massive scalability through parallel transaction processing.
By early 2025, Sui's market capitalization reached approximately $8.92 billion, with a circulating supply of 3.24 billion SUI tokens priced around $2.75 each. It ranks among the top 15 cryptocurrencies globally by market cap, reflecting strong investor confidence and ecosystem growth.
In the decentralized finance (DeFi) space, Sui’s total value locked (TVL) peaked at $2.065 billion in January 2025 before stabilizing at $1.226 billion by April. While this reflects short-term volatility, the overall trajectory—from under $500 million in early 2024 to over $1 billion in 2025—demonstrates increasing adoption and network activity.
A key driver of this growth is the integration of major stablecoins such as USDC, AUSD, FDUSD, and USDY since late 2024. These have significantly boosted liquidity across DeFi protocols. As of April 2025, stablecoin market capitalization on Sui exceeded $877 million—an increase of over 200% since December 2024—showcasing widespread use in trading, lending, remittances, and savings.
Sui now hosts a diverse range of impactful protocols across DeFi, infrastructure, gaming, and real-world assets (RWA). Among them, DeepBook, Cetus Protocol, Walrus, and MemeFi represent some of the most innovative and influential projects driving user engagement and technological advancement.
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DeepBook: The Native Liquidity Layer for Sui
DeepBook is a decentralized central limit order book (CLOB) protocol built natively on Sui. Launched in July 2023, it serves as the foundational liquidity layer for the entire ecosystem, enabling fast, transparent, and low-latency trading experiences across various applications.
Unlike traditional decentralized exchanges (DEXs), DeepBook doesn’t operate as a standalone user-facing platform. Instead, it functions as a backend infrastructure component—integrated directly into wallets, DEXs, and other DeFi apps—allowing developers to embed powerful trading capabilities seamlessly.
Key Features
- On-Chain Order Book: All buy/sell orders, cancellations, and executions are recorded directly on-chain, ensuring full transparency and auditability.
- Ultra-Fast Settlement: Leveraging Sui’s parallel execution engine, trades settle in about 390 milliseconds—ideal for high-frequency trading scenarios.
- Advanced Market Making: Automated algorithms continuously provide liquidity across trading pairs, minimizing slippage for users.
- Dynamic Fee Model: Incentivizes liquidity provision during low-volume periods with rebates while offering fee discounts to active traders.
- Composability: Designed for easy integration with other DeFi protocols, enhancing interoperability within the Sui ecosystem.
- Security Focus: Audited by third-party firms, backed by a bug bounty program, and collaborates closely with security researchers.
Tokenomics: The DEEP Token
The DEEP token plays a central role in DeepBook’s economy:
- Fee Payments: Used to pay transaction fees and create new liquidity pools.
- Liquidity Incentives: Market makers earn DEEP rewards when providing liquidity during thin markets.
- Governance: Staked DEEP holders can vote on protocol upgrades, fee structures, and treasury allocations.
Supply & Distribution
- Total Supply: 10 billion DEEP
- TGE Unlock: 25% (2.5 billion tokens)
Allocation Breakdown:
- 10% – Community airdrop (fully unlocked)
- 28.43% – Core contributors and early supporters
- 61.57% – Ecosystem development
Tokens allocated to teams and investors follow a vesting schedule: 1-year cliff followed by 24-month linear release. Mysten Labs’ share unlocks over 48 months.
Cetus Protocol: Powering Efficient DeFi on Sui
Cetus Protocol is a leading decentralized exchange (DEX) and concentrated liquidity platform launched on May 10, 2023. It leverages the concentrated liquidity market maker (CLMM) model to maximize capital efficiency—a significant upgrade over traditional automated market makers (AMMs).
Core Innovations
- Concentrated Liquidity (CLMM): Liquidity providers (LPs) allocate funds within custom price ranges, increasing fee earnings and reducing idle capital.
- Infinity Pools: Permissionless pools with multiple fee tiers allow greater flexibility for LPs to optimize returns based on volatility.
- Cetus Vault: An auto-compounding vault that simplifies yield farming by automatically reinvesting rewards.
- Intent Trading: Users can set strategies like dollar-cost averaging (DCA) or limit orders without manual execution.
- Super Aggregator: Pulls liquidity from across Sui’s DEXs to ensure users get the best possible trade prices.
These features make Cetus a go-to platform for both retail traders and professional liquidity providers seeking high performance and yield optimization.
Tokenomics: The CETUS Token
CETUS is the native utility and governance token with several core functions:
- Transaction Fees: Paid in CETUS for certain protocol interactions.
- Yield Farming Rewards: Distributed to users who provide liquidity.
- Governance Voting: Enables holders to influence protocol upgrades and policy decisions.
- Staking: Users stake CETUS to receive xCETUS, granting access to exclusive benefits.
Supply & Allocation
- Max Supply: 1 billion CETUS
Distribution:
- 50% – Community & liquidity mining
- 20% – Core team & advisors (vested)
- 15% – Early investors (vested)
- 15% – Liquidity reserve
This balanced allocation emphasizes long-term community ownership and sustainable growth.
Walrus: Decentralized Storage Meets Programmability
Developed by Mysten Labs, Walrus is a decentralized storage and data availability protocol designed specifically for large binary files ("blobs"). It addresses one of Web3’s persistent challenges: scalable, secure, and affordable off-chain data storage.
Key Features
- Erasure Coding: Data is split into “slivers” and distributed across nodes, ensuring fault tolerance even if up to two-thirds of nodes go offline.
- Seamless Sui Integration: Smart contracts can directly interact with stored data—enabling NFT marketplaces, media platforms, and data-rich dApps.
- Decentralized & Trustless: No single point of failure; users retain full control over their data.
- Developer-Friendly Tools: Offers CLI, SDKs, and web interfaces for easy integration.
Walrus sets a new standard for programmable storage in Web3—making it ideal for applications requiring high throughput and reliability.
Tokenomics: The WAL Token
WAL powers the Walrus ecosystem:
- Storage Payments: Users pre-pay WAL for fixed-duration storage; payments are gradually released to node operators.
- Staking & Security: Node operators must be backed by delegated WAL staking. Future slashing mechanisms will penalize poor performance.
- Governance: WAL holders vote on system parameters and policy changes.
Supply & Distribution
- Total Supply: 5 billion WAL
Breakdown:
- 43% – Community reserve
- 10% – User airdrop (fully unlocked)
- 20% – Early developers (1-year cliff + 4-year vest)
- 10% – Mysten Labs (linear unlock until March 2030)
- 10% – Early app subsidies (50-month release)
- 7% – Investors (unlocks after 12 months)
This structure supports long-term sustainability while rewarding early adopters.
MemeFi: The Viral Tap-to-Earn Sensation on Sui
Originally launched as a Telegram mini-app in April 2024, MemeFi made headlines with its addictive tap-to-earn gameplay. After migrating fully to Sui in November 2024, it became one of the network’s most popular consumer-facing dApps.
Players battle meme-inspired bosses by tapping their screens—earning in-game rewards while building clan alliances tied to popular meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.
Why MemeFi Stands Out
- Simple & Addictive Gameplay: Minimal learning curve with high engagement potential.
- Clan Battles: Players join factions and compete in large-scale raids for treasure and leaderboard dominance.
- Global Leaderboards: Drive competition with real-time rankings and top-tier rewards.
Its migration to Sui unlocked faster transactions and lower costs—critical for maintaining smooth gameplay at scale.
Tokenomics: The MEMEFI Token
MEMEFI is the dual-purpose utility and governance token:
- In-Game Purchases: Buy power-ups, characters, and upgrades.
- DAO Governance: Vote on game mechanics, updates, and treasury use.
- Staking & Yield Farming: Earn passive income by locking MEMEFI.
Supply & Distribution
- Max Supply: 10 billion MEMEFI
- All tokens released at TGE
- 90% allocated directly to community (no vesting), accelerating adoption
- Remaining: Liquidity (5.5%), partners (3%), seed investors (1.5%)
This aggressive distribution strategy fueled rapid user acquisition and organic growth.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What makes Sui different from other blockchains?
A: Sui uses an object-centric model instead of accounts, allowing parallel transaction processing. This enables ultra-fast speeds—thousands of TPS—and near-zero fees, ideal for gaming and high-frequency DeFi apps.
Q: Is Sui suitable for beginners?
A: Yes. While technically advanced under the hood, user experiences on Sui—like MemeFi or Cetus—are designed to be intuitive. Wallet integrations and simple interfaces make entry easy for newcomers.
Q: How do I start using Sui-based apps?
A: Download a compatible wallet like Sui Wallet or Ethos Wallet, acquire SUI or app-specific tokens via exchanges, and connect to dApps through their websites.
Q: Are these projects safe to use?
A: Major protocols like DeepBook and Cetus have undergone third-party audits. However, always conduct your own research (DYOR) and avoid sharing private keys.
Q: Can I earn passive income on Sui?
A: Absolutely. You can stake SUI tokens or provide liquidity on platforms like Cetus and DeepBook to earn yield in DEEP, CETUS, or other reward tokens.
Q: Why did MemeFi move to Sui?
A: Due to Sui’s high throughput and low latency—critical for real-time games—MemeFi achieved smoother gameplay, faster reward distribution, and lower operational costs after migration.
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Sui is no longer just a high-speed blockchain—it's becoming a comprehensive Web3 ecosystem where innovation thrives across finance, entertainment, infrastructure, and community-driven platforms. With robust projects like DeepBook, Cetus, Walrus, and MemeFi leading the charge, Sui is well-positioned to play a central role in mainstream blockchain adoption by 2025 and beyond.