OpenSea will launch SEA in Q1 2026 after unveiling token plans this February.
{The marketplace} has put aside 50% of the full provide for customers, each new and previous.
Buying and selling quantity on the platform has jumped to greater than $2.6 billion this month, largely from fungible tokens—not NFTs.
OpenSea’s extremely anticipated SEA token is coming in Q1 2026, the NFT market turned broader token buying and selling platform introduced on Friday.
The agency first shared its token plans in February, however withheld key particulars just like the launch date and token allocations. Now customers know the token is coming quickly, and that the group will obtain 50% of the eventual SEA provide.
The platform kicked off its last section of pre-token rewards on September 15, permitting customers to open the primary set of reward treasure chests on Thursday.
“Integrating SEA into OpenSea would be the alternative to indicate the world our imaginative and prescient. It can shine a highlight on all the things we’re constructing,” CEO and co-founder Devin Finzer posted on X.
OpenSea crossed $2.6B in buying and selling quantity this month, with over 90% from token buying and selling.
That is just the start of our transformation, from “NFT market” to “commerce all the things.”
NFTs had been chapter one for us. In 2021, OpenSea introduced the primary wave of on a regular basis web customers…
“So we have to make rattling certain that what we’ve constructed deserves that highlight—not only for us, however for each holder who believes in what crypto can turn out to be,” he added. “SEA shouldn’t be being created to be launched and forgotten.”
The Q1 launch and token declare will immediately present round 25% of the full SEA provide to group customers, with one other 25% to be shared with the identical demographic of customers over time.
Moreover, the agency introduced that fifty% of its income at launch can be used to purchase again SEA tokens, and customers will have the ability to stake the token on the platform.
Whereas particular particulars concerning the group distribution haven’t been shared, Finzer added that “each OGs and people who participated in OpenSea rewards packages can be meaningfully thought of, individually.”
The buying and selling platform, which rose to fame through the Ethereum NFT bull run, at one level processed billions of {dollars} in month-to-month NFT buying and selling quantity. However as curiosity in NFTs dwindled into 2022 and past, its month-to-month quantity fell as little as $38 million final yr.
As a part of its SEA token announcement earlier this yr, the agency unveiled an organization refresh, shifting gears from a sole give attention to NFT buying and selling to turning into a platform for the buying and selling of all the things—together with buying and selling of fungible tokens, together with meme cash.
OpenSea month-to-month buying and selling volumes are as soon as extra within the billions for the primary time since 2022, exceeding $2.6 billion already this month, although 90% of the amount is a results of token buying and selling—not NFTs.
In July, OpenSea introduced the acquisition of cellular portfolio and buying and selling utility, Rally, to overtake its cellular expertise—which is now in closed alpha. Ultimately, the agency expects so as to add perps buying and selling to its characteristic set as effectively.
A consultant for OpenSea didn’t instantly reply to Decrypt’s request for remark.
Day by day Debrief E-newsletter
Begin each day with the highest information tales proper now, plus authentic options, a podcast, movies and extra.