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Ocean Protocol withdraws from the ASI Alliance, restoring $OCEAN token independence and unveiling a buyback plan.
Author: Tanishq Bodh
Published On: Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:39:05 GMT
October 9, 2025 – In a surprise announcement shaking the decentralized AI sector, Ocean Protocol Foundation has officially withdrawn from the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance, restoring independence to its $OCEAN token. The decision, disclosed Thursday via a Medium post, is effective immediately and framed as a voluntary separation rather than a dispute.
The ASI Alliance, created in June 2024, merged Fetch.ai ($FET), SingularityNET ($AGIX), and Ocean Protocol ($OCEAN) into one AI-focused ecosystem under the $ASI token. The partnership aimed to unify data markets and AI infrastructure under shared governance. However, only about 81% of the 1.4 billion $OCEAN supply, roughly 1.13 billion tokens was converted.
That left 270 million $OCEAN in limbo across more than 37,000 wallets. For many holders, the withdrawal offers long-awaited autonomy. “The alliance was always voluntary,” Ocean wrote. “Our exit enables independent governance and future flexibility.”
The foundation confirmed that the Fetch.ai bridge remains open for anyone wishing to complete their swap. Yet it emphasized that $OCEAN “can now be de-pegged and re-listed,” freeing it from its fixed value to $FET. This shift could reopen trading on major exchanges such as Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance US, many of which had delisted $OCEAN during the merger.
Trading data from CoinMarketCap shows volumes rising 15% within hours of the announcement. To reinforce long-term value, Ocean also unveiled a buyback-and-burn program, pledging to use profits from spin-out ventures to reduce token supply—a deflationary strategy similar to Binance Coin’s model.
Meanwhile, Ocean reassured users that funding for its decentralized data-exchange tools and Compute-to-Data privacy framework remains “fully secured.”
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The ASI Alliance downplayed the split, stating on X: “Transitions are natural. Development momentum remains strong.” Still, analysts warn the move may test the alliance’s cohesion. The unified $ASI token has surged 120% year-to-date, but Ocean’s exit introduces new competitive pressure.
Community reactions have been mixed yet energized. Influencers such as @cryptomacro14 called the de-pegging “bullish for sovereignty,” while others voiced concern about liquidity fragmentation. Despite differing opinions, the consensus is clear, Ocean’s independence rekindles debate about the trade-off between collaboration and autonomy in decentralized AI.
As the $50 billion AI-blockchain sector evolves, Ocean is betting on agility over alliance politics. “Former $OCEAN holders can fully decide to hold $FET or not,” the foundation stated, reaffirming choice as a core principle.
In short, Ocean’s breakaway underscores a broader truth in Web3: alliances may drive scale, but sovereignty still defines survival.
Real voices. Real reactions.
@oceanprotocol Always been a big fan of @oceanprotocol. Lost trust after the merge, but glad they’re going solo again. Relistings aside, it’s time to rebuild trust. If you need me, you know where to find me. $OCEAN
@oceanprotocol So you dumped on Fet holders by selling Fet tokens and now you withdraw! Nice job đź‘Ť
@oceanprotocol Just be a Bittensor subnet. You know this is the way. There is no shame in correcting the path.
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