Jito plans token buyback and burn program with DAO JTX revenue

The plan, filed as JIP-38, only works if JTX becomes popular and generates a lot of trading fees. While the buyback program would create demand for JTO tokens, the burn mechanism would also reduce the total number of JTO tokens in existence. 

What’s the new proposal for JTO tokens? 

Nick Almond, Head of Governance at the Jito Foundation, wrote a proposal that could change how JTO tokens work and posted it to the project’s official governance forum. 

Currently, 80% of platform fees go to the Jito DAO, and 20% stays with the platform to pay for development costs. The proposal, JIP-38, would change this system and use the full 80% to buy back JTO tokens on the open market and permanently destroy them. 

This buyback and burn program will run for at least a year, until a scheduled review in the fourth quarter of 2027. 

The Rev Splitter, which is managed by the DAO’s Dev Council, will be used to collect JTX fees, purchase JTO on the open market, and burn every token it acquires. 

The process will run on-chain, so holders can track fee collection, purchases, and burns in real time. The DAO also plans to create dashboards that show these numbers for every epoch. 

The process is designed to be automatic, so redirecting the money before the commitment ends would require a separate vote. 

Jito describes the idea as a “token-centric network.” Under this model, the DAO governs all major protocol revenue, and JTO holders control how that money is spent. 

Almond’s proposal provides an answer to an ongoing argument in crypto over whether value should be held in a project’s token or in the equity of the companies built around it. 

JitoSOL fees, Block Engine fees, and revenue from Jito’s Block Assembly Marketplace already flow to the DAO, so JTX would become the newest stream pointed at buybacks. 

How has the market reacted to JTO’s new strategy? 

JTO rose as much as 8% shortly after the proposal went live. The token is currently trading around $0.54, but it’s still well below its December 2023 peak of $5.33. The token’s market capitalization was about $258 million.

Data shows that Jito’s entire network earns about $300 million in fees each year. The liquid staking protocol alone generates about $114 million in annualized fees. The protocol’s total value locked is about $724 million to $806 million as of June 14, 2026. 

Jito received a $50 million strategic investment from a16z crypto in October 2025 through a private token sale. 

JTX, Jito’s self-custodial trading platform, is currently opening to waitlisted users and offers spot markets and tokenized equities. The team has said that perpetual futures will be added later this year.

The platform confirmed its commitment to Solana on July 8, telling followers that it would not leave to build on another blockchain.

If JIP-38 passes, token holders will still get to decide the long-term direction of the company at the Q4 2027 review, when the DAO reviews buyback performance across every fee stream.