Core routes part of its gas fees back to the apps that generate them

On most blockchains, the app that brings the users never sees a cent of the gas fees those users generate. @Coredao_Org is trying to change that.

How Rev+ Works

Rev+ is Core's protocol-level revenue sharing mechanism that automatically distributes a portion of transaction gas fees to builders, stablecoin issuers, and DAOs based on their network contributions. The program runs two parallel tracks: a portion of transaction gas fees is automatically distributed to designated recipients with each transaction execution, ensuring immediate value sharing based on smart contract activity. Alongside that, gas fees accumulate into a shared reward pool, distributed monthly among participating partners based on their relative contributions across four key metrics. Those metrics are transaction count, new unique addresses, value moved, and total fees generated.

Participation is opt-in. Contracts enter through a governance proposal, and users interacting with configured contracts may pay slightly higher gas, per Core's own guidelines. The program aims to create a sustainable revenue stream for builders, which may enable them to move away from fundraising via cryptocurrency launches.

The Theseus Hardfork Laid the Foundation

The infrastructure underpinning Rev+ arrived at the protocol level with the Theseus hardfork. The Theseus hardfork was activated on Core Mainnet on June 25, 2025, at 08:00 AM UTC, a major protocol upgrade focused on enhancing transparency, revenue sharing, and developer tooling. It introduced two key features: transaction hooks and protocol-level fee sharing. The upgrade also provides enhanced on-chain insights through live tracing and includes other fixes for improved performance.

Rev+ aims to create a flywheel effect: as user activity increases, developers earn more revenue through gas fee sharing, attracting other builders to the Core network. Stablecoin issuers, who traditionally face high upfront distribution costs, can earn revenue directly from transaction activity, as each transfer generates immediate revenue through the direct distribution model.

The broader context matters here. On-chain stablecoin activity has surpassed $35 trillion annually, roughly twice the size of Visa's volume, yet most of that value has not translated into earnings for those building the infrastructure behind it. Rev+ is Core's direct response to that gap.

Sources
Core DAO: Rev+ Official Announcement
Messari: State of Core Q2 2025
CoinTelegraph: Core Introduces Revenue-Sharing Model for Stablecoin Issuers