Chainflip (FLIP)
Unlock Schedule
Chainflip (FLIP) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
As of October 16, 2026, 88 million FLIP have been released. The schedule is ongoing, with no final release date. Over the next 12 months it releases 4.33 million FLIP (all estimated) from PoS validator rewards, worth about $1.24 million at today's price (4.93% of the market cap). Today's release is an estimated 12,366 FLIP from PoS validator rewards.
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
What FLIP Does
FLIP is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum that powers the Chainflip network. Holders can bond FLIP to operate validators (or delegate to validators, where enabled) to compete in auctions for authority slots. The token is also used on the State Chain for fees associated with network actions. Ownership of FLIP does not grant claims on user deposits; rather, it provides the collateral and fee asset that coordinates the network’s operations. (chainflip.io)
Buy-and-Burn Mechanism
A key part of Chainflip’s economic model is that protocol fees from swaps are collected in stablecoins (notably USDC) and used to buy FLIP in the protocol’s internal USDC–FLIP pool on the State Chain. The purchased FLIP is then burned. This creates a direct link between usage of the DEX and reduction of FLIP’s circulating supply. Network documentation describes specific network fees for swaps and explains how they feed this buy-and-burn system. (docs.chainflip.io)
Funding the State Chain Account
Because FLIP is issued as an ERC‑20, holders move tokens into the State Chain through a gateway contract on Ethereum. The deposit maps to a State Chain account, which can then be used to bid in validator auctions, pay protocol fees, or support other activities (such as providing liquidity in Chainflip-run mechanisms). A reverse flow, called “redeeming,” moves FLIP back out to Ethereum. (chainflip.io)
Upcoming FLIP Releases
| Period | Allocation | Type | Amount | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16 – 31, 2026 | PoS validator rewards | Issuance, estimated | 197.8K | $56.9K |
| Nov 2026 | PoS validator rewards | Issuance, estimated | 371K | $106.6K |
| Dec 2026 | PoS validator rewards | Issuance, estimated | 383.3K | $110.2K |
| Jan 2027 | PoS validator rewards | Issuance, estimated | 383.3K | $110.2K |
| Feb 2027 | PoS validator rewards | Issuance, estimated | 346.2K | $99.5K |
| Mar 2027 | PoS validator rewards | Issuance, estimated | 383.3K | $110.2K |
| Total, next 12 months | 4.3M | $1.2M | ||
Values at $0.287 per FLIP (October 16, 2026), today's price, not a forecast. Releases continue after September 2027. Estimated amounts are modeled from the schedule's rules rather than dated by a source; see the Assumptions below. Releases without dates are listed under Allocations.
Assumptions
Chainflip began with 90 million FLIP minted at its November 2023 token launch, allocated among investors, the Oxen Foundation, contributors, a public sale, node-operator programs and treasuries. Published investor locks and the initial sale provide dated unlocks, while contributor vesting, treasury spending and several incentive payments remain partly or wholly unresolved. Validators also received newly minted rewards, but the available cumulative emission figure combines those rewards with other network incentives and supports only an approximate historical curve. The chart therefore separates the genesis mint from subsequent unlocks and labels modeled timing; it does not subtract burns or claim an exact reconciliation to September 2026 supply.
- Strategic investors: choice of validator or linear lock: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Contributor allocation: Releases depend on recipients claiming tokens or on grants being awarded.
- Contributor allocation: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- Liquid treasury: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- Treasury reserves: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- Unsold public-sale tokens assigned to treasury reserves: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- Soundcheck incentivised-testnet rewards: Releases depend on recipients claiming tokens or on grants being awarded.
- Smooth Operators program rewards: Releases depend on recipients claiming tokens or on grants being awarded.
- Liquidity Bootstrapping Program subsidies: Releases depend on recipients claiming tokens or on grants being awarded.
- PoS validator rewards: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Other network-incentive issuance: New issuance depends on network activity, such as staking, so it cannot be dated in advance.
- Proposed revenue-backed staker distributions: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- 1. https://docs.chainflip.io/protocol/token-economics/genesis-token-economics-pre-2023
- 2. https://chainflip.io/blog/flip-token-generation-event
- 3. https://chainflip.io/blog/token-sale-recap
- 4. https://docs.chainflip.io/protocol/token-economics/incentive-design-emission-and-burning
- 5. https://chainflip.io/blog/flip-emissions-cut
- 6. https://docs.chainflip.io/protocol/token-economics/current-token-economics-2025-and-beyond
- 7. https://chainflip.io/blog/flip-burns-overtake-emissions-back-to-90m
- 8. https://chainflip.io/blog/august-was-one-big-month-for-chainflip
- 9. https://chainflip.io/blog/introducing-flip-2-1-fixed-supply-revenue-backed-staking
- 10. https://chainflip.io/blog/announcing-1-000-000-worth-of-flip-in-liquidity-provision-incentives
- 11. https://chainflip.io/blog/soundcheck
- 12. https://chainflip.io/blog/smooth-operators
Tokenomics Overview
Market Data
Tile coloring: Green indicates positive changes, red indicates negative changes, and neutral indicates no significant trend or unavailable data.
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: 13,503,820.956 tokens of its parts have no release date yet. The chart shows them as TBD from today, not as unlocked.
Estimated from the last observation onward: about 12,366 per day (376,378 per month), the rate between the observations of 23 November 2023 and 10 June 2026.
Description
#746
Chainflip is a decentralized protocol that enables seamless cryptocurrency exchanges across multiple networks and blockchains without requiring users to relinquish asset custody. It allows asset swaps between major blockchains without wrapped tokens or traditional bridging, offering competitive pricing through an innovative 'Just-in-Time' Automated Market Maker (JIT AMM).
| Sector: | Bridges |
| Blockchain: | Other L1 |
Tokenomics Overview
Market Data
Tile coloring: Green indicates positive changes, red indicates negative changes, and neutral indicates no significant trend or unavailable data.