Qubic (QUBIC) Tokenomics

Overview

Qubic Network’s token, QUBIC, is designed with a focus on long-term sustainability, deflationary mechanisms, and community incentives. The tokenomics are structured to balance emissions, burns, and strategic allocations, ensuring both network growth and value preservation.

Issuance Mechanism

• Consensus & Mining: QUBIC is issued through a unique consensus mechanism called Useful Proof of Work (UPoW), where validators (Computors) and miners perform AI training tasks to secure the network and earn emissions.
• Emission Rate: The network emits a fixed amount of 1 trillion QUBIC per week. However, a portion of these emissions is burned each epoch (15% in the first year), reducing the effective supply.
• Halving Schedule: Qubic introduces halvings every 52 epochs (approximately annually), with each halving requiring community (Quorum) approval. This increases the burn proportion over time, further reducing emissions and enhancing scarcity.
• Supply Cap: The maximum supply is capped at 200 trillion QUBIC, a significant reduction from the original 1,000 trillion, aligning with the network’s deflationary goals.

Allocation Mechanism

• Strategic Unlocks: Immediate liquidity (8%) supports trading, while other allocations are vested to prevent sudden supply shocks and align incentives with long-term growth.

Usage and Incentive Mechanism

• Staking & Locking (QEarn): Users can lock QUBIC for up to 52 weeks to earn yield. The longer the lock, the higher the APY, with maximum rewards for full-term commitments.
• Early Unlocks: If users unlock early, rewards are adjusted, and a portion of unearned rewards is burned or redistributed to other participants, incentivizing long-term holding.
• Ecosystem Utility: QUBIC is used for:
  • Decentralized computing and smart contract execution
  • Micropayments (feeless transfers)
  • Participation in governance and funding proposals
  • Earning passive income through protocol features like RANDOM, where QUBIC is burned and distributed to shareholders
• Deflationary Mechanisms: Regular burns (from emissions and early unlocks) reduce circulating supply, supporting price stability and value accrual.

Locking Mechanism

• Flexible Locking: QEarn allows users to lock between 10M and 1T QUBIC, with rewards scaling by lock duration.
• No Penalty for Early Unlocks: Users can withdraw early, but unearned rewards are partially burned and partially redistributed, creating a self-balancing incentive structure.
• Community Engagement: Locking encourages active participation and long-term commitment, with nearly 11% of circulating supply currently locked.

Unlocking Time

• Vesting Schedules: Most allocations have cliffs and vesting periods ranging from 12 to 36 months, with some (like liquidity) available immediately.
• QEarn Rewards: Distributed at the end of the lock period for full-term participants; early unlocks receive adjusted rewards.
• Dynamic Adjustments: The Supply Watcher mechanism can adjust burn rates and emissions in real time to maintain network stability.

Key Metrics (as of January 2025)

• Circulating Supply: ~114.6T QUBIC
• Total Supply: ~127.45T QUBIC
• Max Supply: 200T QUBIC
• Locked Supply: ~12.49T QUBIC (10.9% of circulating supply)
• TVL (QEarn): $39.6M

Summary Table

Implications and Analysis

• Deflationary Design: The combination of emissions, burns, and halvings ensures a decreasing inflation rate and increasing scarcity over time.
• Long-Term Alignment: Vesting and locking mechanisms align incentives for team, investors, and community, reducing the risk of large sell-offs.
• Ecosystem Growth: Strategic allocations to ecosystem growth, loyalty, and treasury support ongoing development and adoption.
• Community Governance: Key parameters (like emission halvings) require community approval, fostering decentralized decision-making.

Qubic’s tokenomics are engineered for sustainability, community engagement, and robust ecosystem growth, with a strong emphasis on deflationary mechanisms and long-term value creation.