$ZK : The Next Chapter — Transforming Governance Into an Economy
ZKsync (
$ZK ) co-founder Alex Gluchowski has unveiled a proposal to redefine the network’s governance token, shifting it from a symbolic role to one with real economic power. In a new community post, he emphasized that this redesign isn’t just about optics — it’s about long-term survival and sustainability.
🔁 The Core Idea
Gluchowski’s vision centers on creating a self-sustaining value loop:
Network fees from interoperability, settlement, and cross-chain messaging would flow directly into a governance-managed treasury. That treasury would then fund protocol upgrades, staking rewards, buybacks, or token burns — turning every use of the network into a force that strengthens it.
In short: activity generates value, and value fuels growth — a flywheel where participation is both rewarded and essential.
🌍 The Bigger Picture
This proposal aligns with a growing trend across Layer-2 ecosystems like Starknet and Optimism, which are also linking protocol revenue directly to their native tokens to create sustainable economies.
Gluchowski also floated the idea of enterprise partnerships contributing back through licensing agreements — not restrictive paywalls, but a way to ensure that open-source infrastructure remains viable and well maintained. As he put it, “open doesn’t have to mean free forever.”
🧭 What Comes Next
While there’s no set timeline for implementation, the message is clear: decentralized networks must learn to fund themselves.
ZKsync’s goal is to evolve from token governance to economic governance — where participation itself becomes a productive, value-generating act.
If this model succeeds, ZKsync could pioneer a new Layer-2 paradigm — one where usage and ownership are fully aligned within the same economic system.
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