Arbitrum (ARB) tokenomics

The Arbitrum (ARB) token is an ERC-20 equivalent governance token launched on March 16, 2023, with a total supply of 10 billion tokens. It serves as the core of the Arbitrum DAO, which governs the Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks.

Issuance Mechanism

The ARB token was launched with a fixed initial supply of 10 billion tokens. The protocol includes a maximum annual inflation rate of 2%. The DAO treasury holds a significant portion of the supply, which can be minted or allocated based on governance decisions. The token contract itself is an upgradeable proxy that allows for superuser functions, including the ability to mint new tokens as authorized by the DAO.

Allocation Mechanism

The initial distribution of ARB tokens was designed to decentralize the network across various stakeholders, including the community, developers, and investors.

Usage and Incentive Mechanism

The primary utility of the ARB token is governance. Tokenholders can participate in off-chain voting via Snapshot and on-chain voting via Tally to enact changes to smart contracts, allocate treasury funds, and authorize new Orbit Chains.

Incentive Programs

Arbitrum has utilized several incentive structures to drive ecosystem growth:

• Short-Term Incentive Program (STIP): Allocated 50 million ARB to 30 ecosystem protocols to stimulate activity.
• STIP Backfund: An additional 21.52 million ARB for protocols that were approved but initially unfunded.
• Long-Term Incentives Pilot Program (LTIP): Allocated 45 million ARB to further support ecosystem protocols.
• Gaming Catalyst Program (GCP): A future-facing program with up to 225 million ARB (2.25% of supply) to support game developers over three years.
• BoLD (Bounded Liquidity Delay): A new dispute resolution protocol that allows for permissionless validation. While Arbitrum One currently uses ETH for bonds, the DAO can vote to use ARB for bonding and validator incentives in the future.

Locking Mechanism

All investor and team tokens are subject to a four-year lockup period. These tokens were locked for one year following the initial launch, with the first major unlock occurring on March 23, 2024. The Arbitrum Foundation's allocation also follows a vesting schedule, with 50 million ARB available immediately and the remaining 700 million ARB vesting linearly over four years.

Unlocking Time

The ARB token supply is scheduled to be fully vested by March 2027. Following the initial one-year cliff, tokens for the team and investors unlock monthly. The current monthly unlock rate is approximately 1.1% of the total supply.

Based on recent data, the daily unlock schedule for February 2026 shows a consistent release of tokens into the circulating supply:

These steady unlocks are distributed among the DAO Treasury, Offchain Labs Team & Advisors, Investors, and the Arbitrum Foundation, ensuring a systematic disbursement aimed at maintaining market balance.