More than two million ICP tokens were minted in a single day, marking the largest daily increase in supply over the past 18 months, according to data from IC Terminal.
The increase appears to be driven mainly by a rise in disbursed voting rewards. These rewards accumulate over time and can be claimed at the holder’s discretion, which means periods of low activity can be followed by sudden bursts of issuance when larger holders decide to collect. Market watchers suggest that some of this activity may be linked to early participants and seed investors bringing long-held rewards into circulation.
This was the second large mint recorded this month. Regular spikes seen around the 13th and 14th of each month are generally associated with payments to node providers. These operators are compensated in fixed dollar terms, with ICP minted to match the payout at current prices. When the token price is under pressure, more ICP must be created to meet the same obligations, amplifying short-term supply growth.
Such dynamics can translate into additional selling pressure if newly minted tokens are moved to exchanges. Even if only a portion is sold, sudden increases in circulating supply can affect market sentiment, particularly during periods of thin liquidity. Traders often watch these issuance events closely, as they can coincide with heightened volatility.
On the other hand, supporters argue that these mints reflect normal network operations rather than an unexpected change in policy. Voting rewards and node payments are designed to support governance participation and keep the network running. From that perspective, the question is less about whether tokens are minted, and more about whether overall demand and on-chain activity can grow fast enough to offset issuance over time.
The data highlights a broader issue facing the ICP ecosystem. As more rewards are claimed and distributed, sustainability increasingly depends on higher usage, stronger burn mechanisms and steadier pricing. Without those factors, repeated supply spikes risk becoming a recurring headwind for the market, even as the network continues to develop.
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