Optimism governance approves OP token buyback plan tied to superchain revenue

Optimism’s governance has approved a proposal that links the OP token more closely to the economic performance of the Superchain, marking a notable shift in how one of Ethereum’s largest layer-2 ecosystems approaches token value and revenue use.

The proposal passed with 84.4% of votes in favor, according to Optimism’s onchain governance portal, after several days of discussion among delegates and tokenholders.

The OP token remained marginally lower over the past 24 hours.

Under the plan, the Optimism Foundation will allocate 50% of net Superchain sequencer revenue toward recurring OP token buybacks over a 12-month pilot period beginning in February. The remaining revenue will continue to support ecosystem funding, grants, and operations.

The measure represents Optimism’s first formal effort to connect OP token demand to network activity across the Superchain — a growing collection of OP Stack–based chains that includes OP Mainnet, Base, Unichain, World Chain, Soneium, Ink, and others.

Since its launch, OP has primarily functioned as a governance token, giving holders influence over protocol upgrades and treasury spending. The newly approved buyback mechanism introduces a different dynamic: as Superchain usage grows, so does the capital allocated to purchasing OP from the open market.

According to the Optimism Foundation, Superchain sequencers generated roughly 5,900 ETH in revenue over the past year, a figure that could increase as additional chains come online and transaction volume rises.

OP tokens acquired through the buyback program will be held in the Optimism Collective treasury. The proposal does not mandate burning the tokens or removing them from circulation, leaving future use — including potential staking mechanisms, incentives, or burns — to subsequent governance decisions.

That flexibility was a key point of discussion during the proposal’s review period, with some delegates arguing it preserves optionality while others pushed for clearer long-term commitments.

“Governance approval of the buyback proposal marks an exciting first step in expanding the role of the OP token. Optimism’s OP Stack is becoming the settlement layer for the next generation of financial systems, and this program will help align the OP token’s value with the success of the Superchain ecosystem,” said Bobby Dresser, the Optimism Foundation executive director.

Read more: Optimism community begins vote on OP token buybacks