Optimism is planning a big change that could give its OP token a much more direct connection to real network activity and revenue.
In a blog post published on January 8, the Optimism Foundation shared a proposal that would use 50% of all Superchain revenue to buy OP tokens on a regular basis. If approved, the plan would start in February after a governance vote scheduled for January 22.
Right now, the Superchain brings in revenue from a growing group of layer-2 networks built with the OP Stack. These include Base, OP Mainnet, Unichain, World Chain, Ink, Soneium, and others. Each of these chains sends part of its sequencer revenue back to Optimism under existing agreements.
Over the past year, that added up to 5,868 ETH, all of which went into a treasury controlled by governance. As usage of the Superchain keeps growing, that treasury keeps getting bigger. Optimism now wants to turn part of that success into steady demand for the OP token.
Under the proposal, half of the new monthly revenue would be used to buy OP tokens over a 12-month test period. The other half would still go toward running the Foundation and growing the ecosystem. The purchases would be done carefully to avoid shaking the market, and the bought tokens would be sent back to the treasury.
What happens next would be up to governance. The tokens could be burned, used for future staking programs, or put toward other incentives as the ecosystem evolves.
This marks a shift in how OP is used. Until now, the token has mostly been about governance, with its value only loosely tied to how much the network is used. Optimism says that no longer makes sense at its current scale.
Today, the Superchain handles over 60% of the layer-2 fee market and about 13% of all on-chain transactions. The Foundation believes buybacks are a way to let that real activity flow back into the OP token instead of just sitting in the treasury.
Optimism also made it clear this is just a first step. Down the road, OP could play a bigger role in things like shared infrastructure or sequencer coordination. For now, buybacks are meant to start that transition.
Community discussions are already underway, with a public call scheduled for January 12 and a formal vote on January 22. If approved, the buyback program would roll out soon after.
OP is currently down sharply from its highs, and this proposal could be an early move to give the token stronger long-term support.
