Optimism Foundation Proposes Major OP Token Buyback As Superchain Momentum Builds

The Optimism Foundation is taking a major step toward reshaping how value flows across its expanding ecosystem.

A new proposal, now heading for a community vote on January 22, aims to allocate 50% of all Superchain revenue toward buying back OP tokens on a monthly basis.

The buyback initiative marks one of the most significant financial shifts in the history of the OP ecosystem and signals a new alignment between token utility, network performance, and future adoption. If approved, the program begins in February and would return repurchased tokens to the treasury for decisions on burning, staking rewards, or other ecosystem incentives.

The announcement surfaced as Optimism shared the proposal with the community, highlighting a year of strong performance and early signs of the next phase of development. The Foundation further emphasized the update through official communication published on X, available via @Optimism.

Superchain Performance Strengthens The Case For Buybacks

Optimism’s plan is directly linked to the Superchain’s accelerating growth. According to internal data shared by the Foundation, the network processed 13% of all global blockchain transactions, while maintaining 61.4% of Layer-2 fee market share.

Over the past twelve months alone, the Superchain generated 5,868 ETH in revenue, all of which has historically flowed into the governance treasury. But under the new proposal, half of this income would be rerouted into the open market to repurchase OP, creating a more explicit link between ecosystem growth and token value.

This shift represents a strategic evolution from the OP token’s earlier role. Up to this point, OP has served primarily as a governance asset, influencing proposals and decisions across the network. With the introduction of monthly revenue-backed buybacks, Optimism is positioning OP as a token more directly tied to the network’s economic activity.

Leadership Signals A New Phase Of Alignment

Co-founder “Prime” expanded on the motivation behind the proposal in a detailed community post shared via X. He noted that the buyback initiative follows months of internal restructuring designed to prepare Optimism for the next wave of crypto adoption.

His remarks, reposted widely across the ecosystem and available via @jinglejamOP at the Foundation’s strategy to unify both internal and external development teams around a more aligned financial model.

Prime stated:

He emphasized that Optimism’s success is not attributable to Foundation or Labs alone. Instead, it stems from contributions across a wide network of partners and builders who chose the OP Stack as their foundation. These include Base, Unichain, Inco, Worldcoin, Celo, BOB, Zora, Mode, and Soneium, all of whom rely on OP infrastructure and, in turn, drive growth across the Superchain.

The message is clear: the buyback program seeks to align the incentives of these contributing chains with the economic performance of the OP token.

A Revenue-Driven Model With Ecosystem-Wide Impact

Under the new structure, every OP Chain contributes sequencer revenue to Optimism’s central treasury. These funds then help support the broader ecosystem. The proposed change takes this one step further by using revenue to strengthen demand for OP on a recurring basis.

The Foundation outlined the following breakdown:

• 50% of revenue → OP token buybacks
• 50% retained → ecosystem operations & expansion

Buybacks would occur monthly over a one-year period, and governance would retain power to adjust parameters as needed.

Supporters argue that recurring buybacks create a feedback loop:

1. More chains adopt the OP Stack

2. More transactions are processed

3. More sequencer revenue is generated

4. More OP is repurchased

5. Token value aligns with network growth

This creates a stronger direct incentive for enterprises and developers building on the Superchain.

If passed on January 22, the proposal would transform OP from a governance-only token into a hybrid model tied to network performance. This shift aligns with broader market trends that favor tokens backed by measurable activity and real revenue flows.

Prime noted that this is not a quick pivot but the beginning of a long-term structural evolution of OP’s role in the ecosystem:

He added that the Foundation expects this buyback mechanism to mature as adoption increases. With more chains preparing to launch on OP Stack in 2026, the revenue base, and thus the buyback pool, is projected to grow.

Ecosystem Prepares For Next Wave Of Announcements

The Foundation also confirmed a January 12 Twitter Space featuring Prime, @karl_dot_tech, and @ben_chain, where community members can ask questions directly.

Prime emphasized that this buyback proposal is the first in a series of upcoming announcements that outline Optimism’s strategy for 2026. With tokenization trends rising, L2 adoption accelerating, and enterprise blockchain interest expanding, OP is positioning itself at the center of next-generation financial infrastructure.

The message from the Optimism Foundation is firm:

• The Superchain is growing, the partners are building, and OP is evolving to match the momentum.

Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services.

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