ZKsync

Ronin

would

The co-creator of the Ethereum-scaling solution ZKsync has proposed a major overhaul of its governance token, arguing it should prioritize “economic utility.”
In a <a href="https://forum.zknation.io/t/from-governance-to-utility-zk-token-proposal-part-i/822" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">post</a> on Tuesday to the ZKsync forum, Alex Gluchowski argued that while its ZKsync (<a href="/zksync-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer">ZK</a>) governance token was effective in the project’s early stages as the “architecture and adoption path were still forming,” the network has since <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/zksync-2025-roadmap-scalable-blockchain-privacy-tech" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">rapidly evolved</a>.&nbsp;
He said it now hosts an <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/zksync-liquidity-program-ignite-sunset-march-17" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ecosystem of interconnected</a> zero-knowledge chains, and it is important that ZKsync’s token captures network value and drives further ecosystem adoption.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
 “The goal is to align usage with value, make decentralization economically sustainable, and ensure the network captures a meaningful share of the economic benefits it creates.”
</blockquote>
Gluchowski, who is also the co-founder and <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/matter-labs-ceo-announces-company-restructuring-layoffs" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CEO of Matter Labs</a>, the firm behind ZKsync, emphasized that funds must flow back into the “network’s economy,” as this will enable continual infrastructure upgrade, security enhancements, public goods funding and “long-term independence.”
“The design goal is to establish a self-reinforcing economic loop where adoption increases network resources, and those resources in turn enhance the network for all participants,” he wrote.
<h2 id="new-tokenomics-tied-to-revenue">New tokenomics tied to revenue</h2>
Gluchowski outlined that the revamped ZK token would derive value onchain from avenues like protocol-native fees, generated from “interoperability and other core settlement and messaging functions,” and offchain via licensing agreements for “enterprise software components.”
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In terms of licensing deals, ZKsync’s stack is free to use, as it is open-source. However,&nbsp; Gluchowski argued that when large enterprises adopt “community-built infrastructure” for complex uses such as treasury integrations, there should be agreements in place to provide value back to the ecosystem.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“When such capabilities are funded by the ecosystem, it is reasonable that their use by enterprise participants returns value to the ecosystem,” he wrote.&nbsp;
<figure>
 <img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-11/019a5217-4371-753c-ba7e-b8c535af93ed" title="" alt="ZKsync creator floats governance token revamp to add ‘economic utility’">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Proposed tokenomics. Source: <a href="https://forum.zknation.io/t/from-governance-to-utility-zk-token-proposal-part-i/822" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="https://forum.zknation.io/t/from-governance-to-utility-zk-token-proposal-part-i/822">Alex Gluchowski</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
From there, all of this extracted value would then flow into a “governance-controlled system” that would direct it to ZK market buybacks, staking rewards, token burning and ecosystem funding.&nbsp;&nbsp;
“For decentralization to persist, it must be economically sustainable. The network needs a durable economic model that supports ongoing development, security, and operation by many independent participants, not by a central sponsor.”
ZKsync has been considering a change to its governance token for months. In June, Omar Azhar, the head of business development at Matter Labs, <a href="https://forum.zknation.io/t/zknomics-roadmap-vision/712" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">posted</a> a “ZKnomics Roadmap Vision” on the project’s forum.&nbsp;
“ZKnomics is designed to align ZK with the long-term health and sustainability of the protocol. It proposes a system where network usage drives protocol revenue, and that revenue is programmatically directed toward two core functions: incentivizing protocol participants and managing token supply,” Azhar wrote.&nbsp;
The proposed timeline of this token shift is unclear. Gluchowski also posted this proposal to X to encourage more feedback and review from the community, adding that more details will be provided “once there is broad support for this direction.”&nbsp;
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/ethereum-synthetix-aave-l1-mainnet-ronin-celo-phala-l2/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Back to Ethereum: How Synthetix, Ronin and Celo saw the light</a>

ZKsync creator floats governance token revamp to add ‘economic utility’

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