The native interoperability token of LayerZero climbed 41% over the trailing seven days to reach $2.25 on Wednesday, fueled by the foundation’s recurring open-market token repurchases. The latest transaction on 6 October 2026 retired an additional 162,000 ZRO ($347,000), lifting cumulative buybacks to approximately 2.54 million tokens worth $5.4 million. While strong spot demand and a daily ZRO trading volume of $130 million propelled the asset to rank 71 on CoinMarketCap, this ZRO price surge now faces a supply hurdle on 20 October, when a scheduled vesting cliff will unlock nearly $50 million worth of tokens.
Banks are among its users: Anchorage Digital chose LayerZero in September to move its bank-issued stablecoins across chains.
LayerZero’s ZRO Buybacks Reach 2.54 Million Tokens
Source: TradingView
LayerZero completed another scheduled token repurchase on 6 October, buying 162,000 ZRO on public spot markets for roughly $347,000. This latest tranche brings total programmatic buybacks to 2.538 million tokens, representing approximately $5.4 million deployed at historical execution prices.
The daily chart shows what that steady bid has done: ZRO has climbed from under $1 in early September to $2.25, and the daily relative strength index at 76 now sits in overbought territory.
The ATLAS Trading Platform and Fee Burn Mechanism
The second leg of the story is ATLAS, the trading platform LayerZero announced in August. Under the published economic design, 75% of remaining platform fees after paying out market maker liquidity rebates will be routed directly into automated open market repurchases and burns of ZRO.
However, ATLAS remains an architectural roadmap rather than a live product generating cash flow. Until the platform deploys on mainnet and begins capturing verified trading volume, the projected deflationary burn remains an estimate rather than active supply destruction.
Looking for ZRO targets beyond this rally? Read the CoinDCX LayerZero price prediction.
What ZRO Traders Should Watch Before October 20
Traders evaluating the ZRO price after buyback must prepare for a massive liquidity injection on 20 October 2026, when 23.63 million tokens unlock for early core contributors and strategic investors. Valued at roughly $50 million at current prices, this single release introduces roughly ten times the total dollar value of all buybacks LayerZero has conducted to date.
A legal question also hangs over the project: Kelp DAO’s lawsuit against LayerZero over the $292 million April exploit remains pending, and the same exploit has already cost the protocol business, with about $7 billion in wrapped Bitcoin moving off the platform in August. An adverse ruling would hit both the treasury funding the buybacks and sentiment around the token.
Balancing Steady Buybacks Against Supply Inflation
LayerZero is removing about $350,000 of ZRO from the market at a time, while October 20 is set to add $50 million of newly unlocked tokens to it. The rally to $2.25 says the market currently cares more about the signal than the arithmetic. However, once the 20 October unlock occurs, market structure will test whether spot demand can absorb $50 million in newly liquid tokens without breaking key support levels.
Positioning around the rally? Track the ZRO price today on CoinDCX.
Disclaimer: Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions. The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.
FAQs
Why is ZRO going up?
ZRO is going up because LayerZero keeps buying its own token on the open market, including a 162,000 ZRO purchase on October 6, 2026, and because of anticipation around ATLAS, a planned trading platform that would put 75% of its remaining fees toward buying and burning ZRO. LayerZero (ZRO) has gained about 41% over the past week, reaching $2.25.
What is the LayerZero buyback program?
LayerZero has been buying its ZRO token on the open market in regular installments, purchasing about 2.54 million ZRO to date, worth roughly $5.4 million. The latest purchase, on October 6, 2026, was 162,000 ZRO for about $347,000, and the ZRO price after the buyback climbed to $2.25.
When is the next ZRO token unlock?
The next LayerZero (ZRO) unlock is scheduled for October 20, 2026, releasing about 23.63 million ZRO, worth around $50 million at a $2.25 price. That is roughly ten times the value of all ZRO buybacks LayerZero has made so far.
What is LayerZero's ATLAS?
ATLAS is a trading platform LayerZero plans to launch. The project has said 75% of ATLAS's remaining fees will be used to buy ZRO on the market and burn it, permanently reducing supply. ATLAS has not launched yet, so no fee or burn figures exist.
