Jito (JTO)

Jito (JTO) is the governance token of the Jito Network, an infrastructure protocol built on the Solana blockchain that combines liquid staking with Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) capture. Users who stake SOL through Jito receive JitoSOL, a liquid staking token that can be used across Solana DeFi while still accruing staking rewards.

Jito addresses two problems on Solana: staking liquidity and the management of MEV, the extra value validators can extract by controlling how transactions within a block are ordered. Jito’s validator client is run by the majority of Solana validators and hosts an auction for block space, known as the Block Assembly Marketplace, that captures MEV as tips and channels a share of that value back to JitoSOL holders, boosting their effective staking yield above standard SOL staking.

JTO itself is a governance and economics token rather than a yield-bearing asset. Holders vote on protocol parameters such as stake pool fees, treasury allocation, and delegation strategy, and the associated DAO treasury collects a fee on JitoSOL rewards plus a share of network tips. JTO launched in late 2023 with an initial community airdrop to Solana validators, JitoSOL holders, and users of Jito’s MEV infrastructure, out of a fixed maximum supply of 1 billion tokens.