Uniswap Burns 100M UNI Tokens as UNIfication Upgrade Launches, Price Rises 5%

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Uniswap Burns 100M UNI Tokens as UNIfication Upgrade Launches, Price Rises 5%

Uniswaps UNIfication upgrade is now live on mainnet, burning 100 million UNI tokens worth $635 million from the treasury. This activates fee switches on v2 and select v3 pools, directing proceeds to ongoing UNI burns while setting Labs interface fees to zero.

• Uniswap UNIfication upgrade burns 100M UNI tokens from treasury on December 28, 2024, at 4:30 AM UTC, as confirmed by Etherscan data.
• Near-unanimous governance vote with over 125 million votes passed the proposal.
• UNI price surged 5.4% to $6.34, up 30% since December 18 per CoinMarketCap data, amid rising whale activity.

What is the Uniswap UNIfication Upgrade？

Uniswap UNIfication upgrade is a major protocol enhancement that activates fee-burning mechanisms on the Ethereum-based decentralized exchange. It went live on mainnet following a record governance vote, immediately burning 100 million UNI tokens valued at $635 million from the treasury. The upgrade transforms Uniswap into a yield-generating ecosystem by routing protocol fees directly to UNI burns, reducing circulating supply and enhancing long-term token value.

How Does Uniswaps Fee-Burning Mechanism Work？

The UNIfication upgrade enables protocol fees on Uniswap v2 pools at 0.25% for liquidity providers and 0.05% for the protocol, while v3 applies fees pool-by-pool at 16-25% of LP fees per tier. Proceeds from these fees, including Unichain sequencer fees after operational costs, fund ongoing UNI burns. Etherscan records the initial burn transaction on December 28 at approximately 4:30 AM UTC. Uniswap Foundation data shows the proposal garnered over 125 million votes in favor, with only 742 against, surpassing the 40 million threshold decisively.

This mechanism builds on DeFi principles seen in protocols like Ethereums EIP-1559, where base fee burns promote deflationary economics. By internalizing maximum extractable value (MEV) through fee discount auctions, Uniswap aims to boost liquidity provider returns. Aggregator hooks in v4 will collect fees from external liquidity sources, further streamlining revenue. Governance-owned Unisocks liquidity from v1 on mainnet migrates to v4 on Unichain, with the LP position burned post-migration.

Uniswap UNI Token Burn Impact and Market Response

The 100 million UNI burn reduces circulating supply from approximately 629 million to 529 million tokens, a pivotal move for scarcity. CoinMarketCap data indicates UNI traded at $6.34 following a 5.4% 24-hour surge, recovering from a 12% weekly dip and marking 30% gains since December 18. Novembers proposal hype drove a 70% weekly price jump, coinciding with peak whale activity—Santiment reports daily whale transactions hit a four-year high and new wallet creation reached three-year peaks.

Uniswap Labs announced the onchain execution via their official statement: “UNIfication has officially been executed onchain. Labs interface fees are set to zero. 100M UNI has been burned from the treasury. Fees are on for v2 and a set of v3 pools on mainnet. Unichain fees flow to UNI burn (after OP & L1 data costs). Let the burn begin.”

Uniswaps Broader Innovations: Continuous Clearing Auctions

Complementing UNIfication, Uniswap partnered with Aztec, a privacy-native Ethereum Layer 2, to launch Continuous Clearing Auctions (CCA) in mid-November. This protocol automates liquidity bootstrapping for token launches on Uniswap v4, enabling developers to set token sale parameters like quantity, starting price, and timeframe. Bidders specify maximum price and spend, with bids withdrawable only outside set ranges, fostering efficient pricing discovery.

Aztec marked the first DeFi project debut via CCA, highlighting its potential for deeper liquidity in launches. These tools underscore Uniswaps evolution as the leading DEX, handling billions in volume annually with automated market maker (AMM) precision.