Headline: Optimism proposes using 50% of Superchain revenue for recurring OP buybacks to tie token to network activity Optimism is moving to more directly link the OP token’s value to network usage. In a Jan. 8 blog post, the Optimism Foundation unveiled a governance proposal that would divert half of all incoming Superchain revenue to recurring OP buybacks, turning a portion of protocol income into a direct value-capture mechanism for the token. What the proposal would do - For a 12-month pilot, 50% of new monthly Superchain revenue would be allocated to buying OP on the open market. The program is slated to begin in February if governance approves it. - The remaining 50% would continue to fund the Foundation’s operations and ecosystem growth. - Purchases are expected to be executed in a manner designed to minimize market disruption, and bought tokens would be returned to the Collective’s treasury rather than distributed immediately. - Governance would then decide how to use those tokens—options include burning them, allocating them for future staking programs, or deploying them as ecosystem incentives. Why this matters - The plan formalizes a revenue-to-token loop: instead of Superchain fees simply accumulating in a governance-controlled treasury (5,868 ETH flowed there over the past 12 months), half of future inflows would automatically be converted into OP. - Optimism’s Superchain is a fast-growing network of Layer-2 chains built on the OP Stack, including Base, OP Mainnet, Unichain, World Chain, Ink, Soneium and others. Under existing agreements, each chain contributes a share of sequencer revenue back to Optimism. - The Superchain already accounts for more than 60% of the Layer-2 fee market and processes roughly 13% of on-chain transactions—making it a meaningful source of recurring revenue that could now feed OP’s economics. Context and next steps - The Foundation frames the buyback plan as an initial step rather than a final design. Future iterations could expand OP’s role into shared infrastructure coordination or sequencer-related functions as the Superchain matures. - Discussion is active in Optimism’s governance forum. A community call with Optimism leadership is scheduled for Jan. 12, followed by a formal vote on Jan. 22. If the vote passes, the buyback program would start shortly thereafter. Market note - OP’s price has suffered significant losses recently—down about 87% year-over-year and over 90% from its 2024 all-time high—so proponents argue the buyback mechanism could help support token value by tying OP directly to network activity. The proposal represents a notable shift from OP as a primarily governance-focused token toward a model where on-chain economics and usage more explicitly influence token supply and demand. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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