esAPEX12 Program Update: Here's What's Next
As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and long-term sustainability, we're sharing an important update on the esAPEX12 program. This transition marks a strategic step forward, designed to reinforce the long-term success of ApeX and empower our growing community as we continue building a stronger, more resilient ecosystem.
About esAPEX12
When we introduced the esAPEX12 initiative on April 29, 2024, our main objective was to reward long-term supporters while managing pre-sale token emissions through a sustainable, controlled unlock model. This experimental approach was designed specifically for core team members and early investors.
However, as the program progressed, we recognized that it could be optimized to better serve its intended purpose. Consequently, after careful review, to ensure long-term alignment and efficiency, as of May 10, 2025, we've decided to return to the original vesting plan and distribute unlocked tokens to the relevant parties, in a structured way, while we continue to strengthen on-chain liquidity and build lasting value for the community.
About Unlock
Previously, the original lock-up plan had a 2-year vesting period from April 29, 2022 to April 29, 2024. Consequently, as of April 29, 2024, investors were originally scheduled to unlock their tokens. However, with the introduction of the esAPEX12 program, on April 29, 2024, no APEX tokens were unlocked for investors.
On May 10, 2025, with the termination of the esAPEX12 program, the APEX tokens that should have been unlocked over the past year were vested accordingly.
Currently, there are 8 investors holding a combined total of 72,000,000 APEX tokens. Of this, 36,986,301.37 APEX has already been unlocked, while the remaining 35,013,698.63 APEX is vesting linearly and will be fully unlocked by April 2026. After that, no further VC token unlocks will occur.
APEX tokens allocated to the ApeX team have also been unlocking proportionally, with only the scheduled amount from the past year vested so far. The remaining tokens will continue to vest linearly, also concluding by April 2026.
Additionally, please note that the XP campaign will end on July 15, 2025, at which point 25 million APEX tokens will be unlocked and distributed to the ApeX Omni traders.
What's Next?
First and foremost, we want to reassure the community that the team is NOT selling any APEX tokens. On the contrary, we are actively reinforcing our commitment to the ecosystem by initiating a buyback strategy—designed to gradually increase on-chain liquidity and support a sustainable, long-term token economy.
While vested APEX tokens will be distributed to the relevant parties, we are also implementing more effective tools to streamline future distributions and improve transparency.
Most importantly, we're laying the foundation for a new staking program — the one that better reflects our long-term vision. Instead of a buy-back and and share approach, we will accumulate APEX through buy-backs and deploy it into AMM pools. The resulting LP shares will then be distributed as staking rewards, aligning incentives and strengthening confidence across the community.
A Smarter Staking Approach
To avoid unnecessary market pressure, we're introducing a new way for token holders to engage with the protocol and support APEX. Here's what we're doing differently:
Strategic Buybacks: Rather than direct airdrops, we'll use APEX tokens repurchased via buy-backs, to build on-chain liquidity. Every week, we will allocate 10% of our post-fee revenue to buy back APEX tokens from the market.
AMM-Powered Staking: We will establish an APEX-USDT liquidity pool on the Arbitrum chain. LP shares from these pools will be distributed as staking rewards.
Community-First Rewards: By airdropping LP shares instead of just tokens, we promote deeper community involvement and stronger long-term alignment.
This model allows us to strengthen APEX's market position while giving token holders a reason to stay engaged—not just short-term rewards, but real ownership in the ecosystem's liquidity.
What's more, all recipients of the vested tokens have been invited to take part in the upcoming staking initiative, and several have already confirmed their participation. This collective commitment will not only help support the value of APEX, but also actively contribute to the long-term growth and resilience of the protocol.
Final Thoughts
As we pivot toward a stronger, more sustainable foundation for our community, we deeply appreciate your support and look forward to building with you in this next phase.
Stay tuned for more details on how to participate in the new staking program.