ConsenSys officially launched the $LINEA token on September 2, 2025, for its zkEVM rollup Linea, marking a new phase in the competition among Ethereum Layer-2s. The token debuted in pre-market trading at $0.05, giving Linea a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of $3.6 billion.
Tokenomics and allocation
The supply of 72 billion tokens has been structured with a strong focus on ecosystem expansion. Roughly 85% of the tokens are reserved for liquidity programs, airdrops and developer incentives, while 15% remain locked in ConsenSys’ treasury for five years.
Despite the token launch, ETH will continue to serve as the gas token for the Linea network. Instead, $LINEA will be used for governance functions and potentially for staking. The roadmap also includes the introduction of a native stablecoin, mUSD, designed to deepen DeFi adoption.
Centralization concerns
While Linea positions itself as a high-performance zkEVM rollup, critics highlight that its sequencer remains centralized, exposing the network to risks of censorship and single-point failure. This has fueled debate within the DeFi community about the balance between rapid growth and decentralization.
Position in the Layer-2 race
With the launch of $LINEA, ConsenSys aims to compete directly with Arbitrum, Optimism and zkSync, all of which have established multi-billion-dollar ecosystems. Linea’s entry adds another heavyweight to Ethereum’s L2 landscape, increasing competition for liquidity, users and developer mindshare.
Sources: AInvest,CoinCentral, Crypto.news tokenomics
