Beam (BEAM)
Unlock Schedule
Beam (BEAM) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
The chart shows gross modeled releases of every allocation: vesting unlocks, new issuance and reserve distributions, each allocation counted once. These have different meanings; a scheduled release is not evidence that tokens entered circulation or were sold. Review the coverage, sources and assumptions below.
Each color segment in the chart corresponds to a specific allocation group described in the Allocations section below. Underlying assumptions and data models used to reconstruct this schedule are explained in detail under Assumptions, while broader utility insights and token use cases are covered in Tokenomics & Utility.
Tokenomics & Utility
Supply and burning
BEAM came from the migration of Merit Circle’s MC token. It exists as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum and serves as the native asset used for gas on the Beam Network. Tokens can also move between supported networks through Beam’s bridge. These forms give BEAM different places to be held or used, while its core network role remains paying for Beam transactions. (onbeam.substack.com)
Burning is another part of its economic model. A burn sends tokens to a contract that permanently removes them from circulation. Beam’s documentation says burns reduce both circulating and maximum supply; its token site also describes a buy-and-burn approach. The amount of BEAM available therefore changes over time as burns and token releases take place. (docs.onbeam.com)
More than a fee token
BEAM has several distinct uses. Holders can take part in governance, including decisions about Beam protocols and oversight of related organizations. The token can also be used for validation or delegation and is accepted as a means of payment by some apps in the ecosystem. Games may use it for purchases of digital items or other tokens. Each use depends on the rules of the network or app involved. (docs.onbeam.com)
Assumptions
Beam replaced Merit Circle's MC token at a 1:100 ratio, so the chart identifies the original mint in BEAM-equivalent units and separately lists the original recipient budgets. The seed, public-sale, retroactive-reward and Launchpool categories have usable dated terms, although several month-by-month curves are estimates rather than observed payments. Team lock changes, cancelled staking rewards, governance spending and treasury-funded Beam programs leave material amounts without verified payment dates. Burns and incomplete migration prevent the historical MC-equivalent mint from reconciling exactly to today's reported BEAM total.
- Community Incentives: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- Team and Advisors: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- Team and Advisors: The original schedule was changed and the new timing is not yet published.
- DAO Treasury: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- MIP-27 Beam Development and Ecosystem Funding: Only secondary sources describe the timing, so it is not confirmed.
- Staking and Liquidity Rewards: Releases depend on recipients claiming tokens or on grants being awarded.
- MIP-19 Staking V2 Reward Budget: The original schedule was changed and the new timing is not yet published.
- 1. https://blockworks.com/token-transparency/filing/beam
- 2. https://treasury.onbeam.com/beam-token
- 3. https://www.binance.com/en/research/projects/merit-circle
- 4. https://resources.cryptocompare.com/asset-management/374/1693407352277.pdf
- 5. https://medium.com/@onbeam/locking-up-the-majority-share-of-initial-contributor-tokens-for-at-least-4-years-2dffeb6ccea8
- 6. https://medium.com/@onbeam/beam-token-migration-tutorial-and-faq-3f72cecf09d2
- 7. https://medium.com/@onbeam/beam-token-migration-update-december-2023-acfbe22b00f7
- 8. https://gov.meritcircle.io/t/mip-27-beam-development-and-ecosystem-funding/822
- 9. https://medium.com/@first.vip/first-vip-project-analysis-gaming-dao-merit-circle-34615bfe4452
- 10. https://onbeam.substack.com/p/61-treasury-report-q2-2026
Allocations
Parts of this allocation with their own release dates are charted as their own allocations; the chart shows the rest here.
Not yet scheduled: 48,699,815,313 tokens of its parts have no release date yet. The chart shows them as TBD from today, not as unlocked.