Optimism’s governance has approved a proposal to more closely tie OP tokens to the superchain’s economic performance, marking a significant shift in how one of Ethereum’s largest layer 2 ecosystems handles token value and revenue usage.
The proposal passed with 84.4 votes% According to data from Optimism’s on-chain governance portal, the approval vote came after several days of discussions between representatives and token holders.
OP token is still trading slightly lower over the past 24 hours.
Under the plan, the Optimism Foundation will use 50% of Superchain sequencer net revenue for recurring OP token buybacks during a 12-month pilot period starting in February. Remaining revenue will continue to support ecosystem funding, grants, and operations.
The measure represents Optimism’s first formal effort to tie OP token demand to network activity across Hyperchain, a growing collection of OP Stack-based chains that includes OP Mainnet, Base, Unichain, World Chain, Soneium, Ink, and more.
Since its launch, OP has primarily served as a governance token, giving holders influence over protocol upgrades and financial spending. The newly approved buyback mechanism introduces a different dynamic: as Hyperchain usage grows, so does the funds allocated to buying OP from the open market.
According to the Optimism Foundation, Hyperchain Sequencer generated approximately 5,900 ETH in revenue over the past year, a number that is likely to increase as more chains come online and transaction volume increases.
OP tokens obtained through the buyback program will be stored in the Optimism Collective vault. The proposal does not mandate the destruction or removal of tokens from circulation, but leaves future usage (including potential staking mechanisms, incentives or destruction) to subsequent governance decisions.
This flexibility was a key point of discussion during the review of the proposal, with some representatives arguing that it preserved optionality while others argued for clearer long-term commitments.
Optimism Foundation Executive Director Bobby Dresser said: “The buyback proposal has been approved by the government, marking an exciting first step in expanding the role of OP tokens. Optimism’s OP Stack is becoming the settlement layer of the next generation financial system, and this plan will help align the value of OP tokens with the success of the super chain ecosystem.”.
Learn More: Optimistic Community Begins Voting on OP Token Buyback
