From -80% in 2025 to a 2026 breakout? Optimism's new buyback plan aims to link OP's price to network growth | Credit: Hameem Sarwar
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Key Takeaways
Optimism plans to use 50% of Superchain revenue for OP buybacks.
OP’s price shows short-term weakness as CMF and BBP turn negative.
If $0.31 holds and activity continues to rise, OP can rebound toward $0.40.
While the broader crypto market remains range-bound, Optimism (OP) has just introduced a massive fundamental catalyst.
The Foundation’s plan has revealed plans to repurchase OP tokens using half of its Superchain revenue, which generated nearly 5,868 ETH in 2025.
Interestingly, the announcement comes at a critical moment for OP’s price. Last year, the Optimism token fell by 80%.
Since the new year began, the market has increased nearly 8%. So, will this new development trigger an extended rally for the token?
OP Faces Short-Term Pressure
On the 4-hour chart, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) shows weakening capital inflows.
The indicator currently sits in negative territory around -0.04, signaling mild distribution and suggesting that sellers are starting to outweigh buyers in the short term.
A negative CMF typically reflects capital outflows and indicates reduced accumulation of interest at current price levels.
Similarly, the Bull-Bear Power (BBP) indicator hovers slightly below the neutral line at -0.006, reinforcing the narrative of softening momentum.
This structure suggests that bears are beginning to gain marginal control after OP’s rejection near the $0.33 resistance zone.
Structurally, OP’s price has pulled back from the $0.34 region and is now consolidating around $0.31, a key short-term demand area.
This zone previously served as a breakout base and now acts as an essential level for bulls to defend against a deeper retracement.
This is due to the recent proposal by the project. On Jan. 8,
By proposing a 50% revenue-share model for token buybacks, the Optimism Collective is challenging the “valueless governance” stigma that has long benefited competitors.
With the Superchain currently capturing over 61% of the L2 fee market, the proposed buyback program (set to begin in February) could create a powerful flywheel effect: more transactions lead to more buybacks, which in turn secure a more valuable network.
“The Optimism Foundation is advancing a proposal to align the OP token with rising Superchain demand by allocating 50% of incoming Superchain revenue to regular OP buybacks, reinforcing long-term token value.” It disclosed.
Notably, the governance proposal will be put to a vote on Jan. 22. If approved, it could create upward pressure for OP’s price in the long run.
Utility Expands Beyond Governance
Optimism’s CEO, Jinglan Wang, also shared a similar viewpoint, noting that a greenlight could tie OP’s price action to the network activity.
“If approved, this proposal will transition OP from a pure governance token to a token tightly aligned with network growth. When an enterprise builds a new chain, the utility of the token increases and OP benefits. When builders choose the Superchain, the flywheel accelerates,” Wang posted on X.
To support this move, on-chain data from Santiment shows that the price–Daily Active Addresses (DAA) divergence has flipped positive.
The Money Flow Index (MFI) sits at 54.82 and tilts downward, indicating a slight outflow of capital from the token. If the MFI continues its decline toward 50 or lower, it could signal growing selling pressure.
Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovers near 50, with a slight downward tilt, indicating weakening bullish momentum.
A drop below 50 would reinforce a short-term bearish bias.
A look at the Fibonacci retracement levels offers a clearer view of Optimism’s price action. Currently, OP sits at $0.31, its support zone between the zero Fib level and the 0.236 Fib level.
This area is crucial, as holding above it could signal that buyers are stepping in.
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, financial advice. We do not make any warranties regarding the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of this information. All investments involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We recommend consulting a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Victor Olanrewaju is a crypto analyst and reporter at CCN with deep roots in on-chain research and technical analysis. His crypto journey began in 2017, but it was the 2020 Uniswap airdrop that sparked a full-time pivot into the space.
With a foundation in copywriting, Victor honed his craft creating high-converting content for leading crypto brokers — most notably an XRP price prediction that ranked #1 on Google during the 2021 bull run.
He later joined AMBCrypto in 2022, where he combined storytelling with technical and on-chain analysis to cover key market narratives.
In 2024, he expanded his expertise at BeInCrypto, collaborating with analysts and using tools like Glassnode, Santiment, and IntoTheBlock to break down Bitcoin and altcoin trends.
At CCN, Victor covers the top cryptocurrencies, memecoins, macro shifts, blending real-time insights with deep-dive metrics.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Ibadan, equipping him to simplify complex data for a wide audience. Follow his work or connect on LinkedIn or X.
