Verifying circulating supply on CoinMarketCap: a documents-first method

What supply verification involves

Quick test: Add up the balances of all your wallets on 1 date. Does the total match your published circulating supply within 0 tokens of difference?

Circulating-supply verification means explaining how many tokens are treated as available to the market and supporting that figure with records. The practical goal is not just a number: it is a calculation that someone else can follow from the source documents to the reported total.

Start by recording the token’s total supply as your project defines it, the date of the calculation, and the method used to classify holdings. Then list the allocations that are not currently available, such as locked tokens, unvested team or investor allocations, and treasury holdings that have not been deployed. Do not treat a label alone as proof; connect each category to a wallet, contract, vesting schedule, governance record or other appropriate evidence.

A useful working table includes:

• Wallet or contract address and its role.
• Balance observed and the date it was checked.
• Allocation category and the reason it is excluded or included.
• Supporting record and any relevant release or release terms.

This helps you distinguish a transparent supply methodology from an unexplained estimate. For a wider listing-preparation checklist, see how to get listed on CoinMarketCap.

Documents to prepare before submitting

Prepare records that let a reviewer connect the supply calculation to the project’s token structure and on-chain balances. CoinMarketCap’s current submission instructions should determine the final format, so check its official support site before sending materials.

Build an evidence folder with a short index rather than sending a pile of unrelated files. Depending on the token design, useful materials may include:

• Token contract address and relevant explorer links for the supported network.
• Token allocation schedule, including vesting terms and release dates.
• Wallet or contract addresses for treasury, team, investor, ecosystem and liquidity allocations.
• Records showing locks, vesting controls, burns or other supply changes.
• A calculation sheet that ties each category to its balance and explains the inclusion decision.
• A dated note describing any assumptions, exclusions or unresolved balances.

Make sure documents agree with one another. If the allocation schedule names a treasury wallet, the calculation should identify the same address and explain its treatment. If a contract or wallet serves several purposes, spell out which balance belongs to which allocation. Keep confidential material restricted to what is needed for review, and avoid presenting an unsupported claim as an on-chain fact. For broader verification support, see circulating supply verification.

Your 6-point supply evidence checklist

Prepare these 6 items before you submit anything. A reviewer should be able to rebuild your number in about 15 minutes from the files alone. Keep the ticked list with your records, because it is the quickest way to explain later what was agreed.

• List all wallets and what each one holds.
• Mark which balances are locked, vested or in treasury.
• Write the formula for circulating supply.
• Put a date and block height on every figure.
• Attach lockup and vesting records.
• Update the sheet after each scheduled release.

Terms in one line

Circulating supply (in plain words: the number of tokens currently available to trade).

Lockup means a rule that stops a holder from moving tokens until a set date.

How do you work out the figure and explain it?

A review-ready calculation starts with a dated supply baseline and shows each adjustment instead of presenting only a final figure. Use the same unit throughout, identify the source for every balance, and make the arithmetic reproducible from the included records.

A practical sequence is to state the total supply you are using, list each non-circulating category, and show how the project arrives at the circulating figure. The category labels are not self-explanatory: note why a balance is excluded, who controls it, and what condition would make it available. If tokens are held in a contract, provide the address and relevant lock or release information. If a balance is included despite being associated with a project wallet, explain why it is available under your stated method.

Before finalizing, check that:

• The sum of the listed categories reconciles with the baseline.
• The same wallet is not counted in more than one category.
• The calculation date and explorer balance dates are clear.
• Any planned release is distinguished from tokens already released.
• Public materials use the same supply definition and date.

If your project also needs a separate profile or listing application, compare the requirements in CoinGecko listing preparation; do not assume one platform’s submission covers the other.

Submitting evidence and keeping it current

Rule of thumb: Put the date and the block height on every figure. Undated numbers cannot be verified.

Submit a concise explanation with the calculation and supporting records, organized so each statement points to its evidence. Use CoinMarketCap’s current official channel and follow the instructions presented there; keep a copy of what you sent and note any follow-up questions.

A clear cover note should identify the token, network, calculation date, reported figure, method and the main files that support it. If a reviewer asks for clarification, answer the precise question and update the calculation or evidence index if the answer changes an assumption. Keep a record of the submitted version so your team can distinguish it from later revisions.

Treat supply documentation as a maintained project record, not a one-time launch task. Revisit it when tokens release, move between wallets, are burned, or are otherwise reclassified. Before publishing an update, reconcile the new balances, revise the dated calculation, and align the allocation table and public token information. A simple change log helps the team explain what changed and why. For a separate overview of CoinGecko’s platform-specific trending process, see how to get trending on CoinGecko; trending visibility and supply documentation are different tasks.

What the review can and cannot establish

Your documents can make the reported figure easier to assess, but the platform decides how to handle the submission and whether its displayed supply information changes. CoinMarketCap may apply its own review and classification to the evidence you provide, so a project’s calculation is not itself confirmation of the platform’s final treatment.

Use that boundary to make the submission stronger, not vaguer. Explain the method plainly, label the date of each balance, and disclose any allocation whose status is ambiguous. If the same wallet contains tokens with different purposes, separate the explanation by balance or provide records that show the distinction. If a vesting arrangement is off-chain or depends on a contractual commitment, include the relevant document and clearly identify what it demonstrates.

Before submitting, ask an independent reviewer to check whether they can trace the final figure back through the category table to the underlying records. Resolve missing wallet labels, conflicting allocation totals and unclear lock terms first. MarketingExtra can help by reconciling the calculation against the supplied wallet and allocation records, flagging unsupported assumptions, and returning a specific list of evidence gaps to address.

Keeping CoinMarketCap and other records aligned

Keep one controlled source of truth for the token’s supply methodology, then adapt the supporting material to each platform’s process. This reduces the chance that a website, application, allocation sheet and public announcement describe different figures or dates.

Maintain a master record containing the calculation date, token and network identifiers, wallet categories, evidence links and the person responsible for updates. When another data provider asks for information, check its current instructions and provide the relevant version of the records rather than assuming the platforms share a review or a definition. The same discipline applies when you prepare listing materials: supply evidence is one part of a broader profile, not a substitute for every requested field.

A useful handoff to your team includes the latest calculation, source documents, outstanding questions and the trigger for the next review, such as a scheduled release or treasury movement. If the reported supply changes, make the reason and effective date clear wherever the project publishes the figure. Use CoinGecko vs CoinMarketCap listing guidance to compare listing preparation, and CoinMarketCap listing support for help with the platform-specific listing workflow.

To get started, send MarketingExtra the token and network details, your latest supply calculation, and the records behind each allocation. We will review the evidence against the calculation and return concrete corrections or gaps for your team to resolve.

How it works

1. Set the supply date and methodRecord the token, network, calculation date and definition of circulating supply. State the baseline and how you classify project-controlled holdings.
2. Map wallets to allocationsList relevant addresses, balances and purposes. Connect each allocation to its vesting, lock, treasury or other supporting record.
3. Reconcile the calculationShow how included and excluded categories lead to the reported figure. Check for overlap, missing balances and inconsistent dates.
4. Prepare the submission packageAdd a concise cover note, calculation sheet, evidence index and source links. Check CoinMarketCap’s current official instructions before submitting.
5. Track questions and changesSave the submitted version and respond to review questions with the relevant evidence. Reconcile the records again after material supply changes.