This time, Lido really has the possibility to initiate a buyback of $LDO through proposals.
As the largest LST protocol currently, Lido has $160 million in the national treasury in $ETH and stablecoins, so the community has recently proposed several proposals to discuss whether to initiate a buyback.
Actually, this matter has been discussed for a long time, and it hasn't stopped for years. Because Lido places great importance on community governance, everyone is willing to discuss it, and the discussions often yield results.
Returning to the buyback proposal itself, this time the community took the lead, and then Lido co-founder Vasily Shapovalov (vsh) started exploring possibilities during the proposal and community conference call.
His general viewpoint is:
(1) The buyback is possible;
(2) The precondition is to wait for a clear regulatory attitude (probably in the next few weeks).
Moreover, another reason we believe this time is possible is that Lido, after years of development, has finally started to break even.
In the past, Lido needed a large treasury to cover operational expenses and unforeseen events. After many years since Lido's launch, $stETH and $LDO governance have been operating smoothly, and now revenue is back on track.
That's why it's said that this time it's possible. If the regulatory attitude is clear in Q3, then it's very likely that these issues will be clarified in Q4, allowing the community to see the buyback before the end of the year.