Opensea to Launch SEA Token in Q1 2026 for On-Chain Trading

OpenSea announced the launch of its native token, SEA, set for Q1 2026. This move marks a shift from an NFT marketplace to a comprehensive on-chain trading platform.

OpenSea's trading volume reached $2.6 billion this month.
90% of this volume was driven by token trading.
The SEA token aims to facilitate a unified on-chain economy, supporting diverse digital assets across multiple chains.

Key Features:

50% of SEA supply will be distributed to the community, benefiting early users and reward program participants.
50% of launch revenue will go towards purchasing SEA tokens.
SEA holders can stake tokens behind favorite NFT collections, integrating governance and utility.
A mobile app is in development offering full on-chain trading access.
Features like perpetual trading and cross-chain abstraction are planned before the 2026 launch.

The announcement comes as the global NFT market faces a significant decline, with market capitalization dropping to $5.2 billion, down from a $25 billion peak in 2021. Despite this, OpenSea shows active user engagement with substantial trading volumes.