Chainlink (LINK) Tokenomics

The LINK token is an ERC-677 token primarily deployed on Ethereum, which has since been bridged to several other networks. It serves as the foundational economic and security mechanism for the Chainlink Decentralized Oracle Network (DON), particularly under the framework of Chainlink Economics 2.0.

Issuance Mechanism

The LINK token has a fixed maximum supply of 1 billion LINK.

The issuance mechanism is not inflationary; rather, the supply was fully minted at inception. The tokens used for network rewards, such as staking rewards and node subsidies, are sourced from the non-circulating portion of this fixed supply.

Allocation Mechanism

The total supply of 1 billion LINK was distributed across three main categories, as detailed in the table below:

The Public Token Sale occurred in September 2017 and raised $32 million. The allocation for "Node Operators & Ecosystem" was subject to a cliff that ended in Q4 2019. The non-circulating LINK tokens are controlled by Chainlink Labs across various wallet addresses.

Usage and Incentive Mechanism

The LINK token is a multi-functional utility asset designed to secure and operate the Chainlink Network.

1. Medium of Exchange and Payment

LINK is the primary currency used to pay Chainlink nodes for fulfilling job requests, which involve executing off-chain computations and delivering data to smart contracts. Each node can adjust the pricing parameters for the jobs they fulfill. LINK is also used for transaction and verification fees across various Chainlink services, including Data Streams, Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) transfers, and Chainlink Automation.

2. Staking for Cryptoeconomic Security

Staking is a core component of Chainlink Economics 2.0, enabling token holders and node operators to commit LINK to smart contracts to back performance guarantees for oracle services.

• Community Staking: Tokenholders can stake LINK to help secure oracle services, such as the ETH/USD price feed on Ethereum. Rewards are paid in LINK, sourced from the non-circulating token supply. For example, the community staking pool in Staking v0.2 had a variable reward rate of 4.32%.
• Node Operator Staking: Nodes providing updates to specific price feeds (like ETH/USD on Ethereum) must stake LINK to participate. Node operators earn rewards, including a base floor reward rate of 4.50% and 4.00% of delegated staking rewards, also sourced from the non-circulating supply. The target reward rate for nodes is approximately 7.00%.
• Alerting Mechanism: Stakers (both community and node operators) can submit an alert if a supported price feed has not updated on-chain for at least three hours. A successful alert yields a reward of 7,000 LINK, also from the non-circulating supply.

3. Penalties (Slashing)

Staking introduces a penalty mechanism to enforce performance guarantees. Node operators serving the affected ETH/USD price feed who fail to meet performance requirements can suffer a 700 LINK slash on their staked deposits (excluding delegated community staked deposits).

4. Ecosystem Subsidies

A significant portion of the supply (350 million LINK) was allocated to "Node Operators & Ecosystem." Third-party sources suggest that Chainlink Labs may use these tokens to subsidize the operations of select Chainlink nodes, although the project team has not publicly disclosed the utilization of LINK in this manner.

Locking Mechanism and Unlocking Time

The primary locking mechanism for LINK tokens is Staking, which is governed by specific rules, particularly in the latest version, Staking v0.2.

Staking Parameters (Staking v0.2)

Withdrawal and Unlocking Time

In Staking v0.2, an unbonding mechanism provides stakers with greater flexibility and predictability for withdrawing their staked LINK.

• Staked LINK Withdrawal: Users can initiate withdrawals of their staked LINK after an initial 28-day cooldown period. This is followed by a seven-day claim window during which the staked LINK can be withdrawn.
• Accrued Rewards Unlocking: Accrued rewards are subject to a 90-day ramping-up period before they are fully claimable. For example, a user can withdraw 50.00% of their rewards after 45 days, with 100.00% becoming available after 90 days.

The unbonding mechanism is crucial for security, ensuring that sufficient staked LINK remains in the system to be slashed if a valid alert is raised, thereby preventing withdrawals before penalties can be applied.

Information regarding any remaining scheduled token unlocks for the initial "Company" or "Node Operators & Ecosystem" allocations was not available.