Solana (SOL) tokenomics

Solana (SOL) is a Layer-1 blockchain designed for high throughput and low transaction costs. Its token economics are structured to ensure long-term network security, incentivize participation, and manage the supply of its native token, SOL.

Issuance Mechanism

Solana employs a protocol-driven inflationary issuance schedule to reward validators for securing the network. This schedule is disinflationary, meaning the rate of new token creation decreases over time until it reaches a stable, long-term floor.

• Initial Inflation Rate: The network began with an initial inflation rate of 8.00% annually, which went live in February 2021.
• Disinflation Rate: The inflation rate decreases by 15.00% per "epoch year" (approximately 360 days or 180 epochs).
• Long-term Inflation Rate: The reduction continues until the annual inflation rate reaches a fixed floor of 1.50%.

New tokens are automatically created by the protocol and distributed to validators and their delegators as staking rewards.

Allocation Mechanism

The initial supply of SOL was distributed among several key stakeholder groups to fund development and bootstrap the ecosystem.

The Community Reserve Fund is managed by the Solana Foundation and used for ecosystem initiatives, including grants and delegation programs.

Usage and Incentive Mechanism

SOL serves as the primary utility token within the Solana ecosystem, facilitating network operations and aligning the interests of various participants.

• Transaction Fees: Users pay fees in SOL to send transactions and execute smart contracts. These fees include a static base fee per signature and a variable fee based on computational resources ("compute units"). Users can also pay optional "prioritization fees" for faster processing.
• Staking Rewards: SOL holders can stake their tokens to secure the network. Validators receive inflationary rewards and a portion of transaction fees. Currently, 50.00% of transaction fees are distributed to validators, while the other 50.00% are burned. A pending update (SIMD-0096) proposes sending 100% of transaction fees to the validator that acts as the Slot Leader.
• Storage Rent: Accounts that store data on-chain are charged "rent" in SOL to compensate validators for maintaining the network state. As of late 2024, 100.00% of collected rent fees are burned.
• Governance: While SOL is not used directly for voting on all protocol changes, it is used in the Feature Proposal process. Tokens representing active stake are minted and distributed to validators, who then vote by transferring these tokens to specific addresses.

Locking Mechanism and Unlocking Time

Solana's token distribution included specific vesting and locking schedules to manage the release of tokens into the circulating supply.

• Team and Foundation: Project team members were allocated ~63.95 million SOL. Half of the founders' allocations were unlocked at launch, with the remaining half unlocking monthly over the subsequent 24 months. The Solana Foundation committed to adding no more than 8.00 million SOL to the circulating supply per month through the end of 2020.
• Alameda/FTX Agreements: Significant portions of SOL were sold to Alameda Research and related entities under various unlock schedules:
  • Linear Unlocks: Approximately 46.5 million SOL were subject to linear monthly unlocks. One tranche (12 million SOL) unlocks from September 2021 to September 2027, and another (34.5 million SOL) unlocks from January 2022 to January 2028.
  • Cliff Unlocks: Two major tranches are scheduled for full unlocks in 2025. This includes 7.5 million SOL on March 1, 2025, and 61.85 million SOL on May 17, 2025.
• Staking Lockups: Tokens earned through certain programs, such as the Public Auction Sale on CoinList, were locked for 12 months. Additionally, while there is no protocol-wide minimum lock period for general staking, the process of unstaking (deactivating a stake account) typically takes one full epoch to complete before the SOL becomes liquid.