Skip to main contentThe $LITKEY token underpins the entire Lit Protocol ecosystem, serving as a multi-dimensional work, payment, and governance token. Together, these dimensions aim to facilitate a self-sustaining token economy in which tokens are staked to secure the network, used as rewards to incentivize operator participation, exchanged to access cryptographic services, and to govern the continued growth and development of the Lit ecosystem.
Work Token: Securing and Incentivizing Service Providers
The primary function of $LITKEY is that of a work token: It plays a dual role in enforcing network security and compensating participants for maintaining protocol liveness.
To participate in the Lit network, node operators must stake $LITKEY tokens, committing economic value to signal their reliability and long-term alignment with network security. This staking mechanism ensures that operators have a vested interest in maintaining uptime, executing cryptographic tasks correctly, and adhering to protocol rules.
In addition to securing the network, $LITKEY is also used to compensate node operators who perform signing, encryption, and computation operations by running the core Lit software. The protocol distributes token rewards to operators based on a time-weighted staking mechanism, covered in depth in the $LITKEY white paper.
Payment Token: Paying for Network Services
Beyond its role as a work token, $LITKEY also functions as a service payment token, facilitating both on-chain and off-chain operations with Lit.
As the native gas token for the Lit Chain, Lit’s Arbitrum Orbit-based L3 rollup, $LITKEY is required to make any transactions on-chain, such as when generating new key pairs or staking. Aside from gas, $LITKEY is also to pay for signing, encryption, and compute operations provided by the network. Users and applications consuming Lit’s cryptographic services must pay per-transaction fees, ensuring that network resources are allocated efficiently while node operators are fairly compensated. Costs fluctuate based on demand, similar to gas-metering.
Governance Token: Steering Protocol Development
$LITKEY will also serve as a governance token for the Lit Protocol ecosystem, enabling token holders to direct the ecosystem’s evolution through a decentralized, on-chain governance system. Individuals holding $LITKEY will play an important role in selecting network operators, suggesting core protocol upgrades and feature enhancements, distributing public goods and grants funding, and other related functions. Additionally, token holders influence ecosystem growth by shaping strategies for partnerships, integrations, and network expansion. As the protocol matures, these governance mechanisms will continue to evolve.
At the onset of Lit v1, the Lit Protocol Council will be tasked with overseeing the governance process in tandem with $LITKEY token holders, as covered in depth in the governance section. 
