In crypto's fast-paced world, the first thing to go is the trading price and market capitalization, but that does not mean you should underestimate a dynamic project that some might even call controversial: TRON. As the result of a lofty mission to decentralize the web, TRON has become a giant in stablecoin payments, complete with vast amounts of users and a vivid ecosystem. In this article, we're going to look at the TRON's official digital token, TRX, to understand or highlight the history/truth behind its creation, growth, and future, as well as explain the significant events that have turned it into a cornerstone of the digital assets space today.
The Origin of TRON: New Vision of the Internet
TRON was created by Justin Sun in 2017, a divisive but charismatic character who has maintained an outsized presence in the increasingly crowded cosmos of crypto companies. TRON, at first, set sights on creating a decentralized content-sharing platform that could give creators the ability to profit from their work without a middleman such as YouTube or Netflix. The project's whitepaper detailed an ambitious multi-phase roadmap that included everything from a distributed storage layer to a complete smart contract platform. This roadmap, which includes milestone names like "Exodus," "Odyssey" and "Great Voyage," was enough to capture the interest of many early crypto enthusiasts.
TRX launched as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain after a successful Initial Coin Offering (ICO). But in May 2018, Tron introduced its very own mainnet telling the world that it is its turn to fight for the road map which will soon be rolled out for massive adoption. This move was key to position TRON as a relevant option in the competitions of the layer-1 blockchains. The release of mainnet was not a mere technical achievement, but an ambition from TRON to foster a self-sustaining ecosystem to rival those of the so-called "Ethereum Champions". The swap of TRX from an ERC-20 token to the main asset of the TRON blockchain was a complicated, yet successful maneuver, helping prove that the project was legitimate from the start.
Trump Connection and Nasdaq Buzz
One of the hot topics in TRON's recent past is its ties with Trump family and then Nasdaq news. In the middle of 2025, a report surfaced that TRON was going to have an initial public offering via reverse-merger with SRM Entertainment, a Nasdaq-listed toy maufacturer. An investment bank with links to Trump sealed the deal, where $100 million was used to establish a TRON Token Treasury and Justin Sun came on board as an advisor. SRM Entertainment was renamed Tron Inc., with Sun's father, Weike Sun, named chairman of the board.
This announcement rocked the crypto scene with the stock price of SRM Entertainment rising over 500%. The participation in TRON's future raised speculation of the Trump family's increasing interest in cryptocurrency and what its effect will be on TRON down the line. The deal doesn't mean TRX will be listed on Nasdaq, but it gives TRON a publicly traded vehicle and a sizable war chest to help build-out its ecosystem. This represents a further step for TRON to establish its credibility and for its strategy in uniting the traditional finance world and the crypto space. The idea of creating a publicly traded company holding large amounts of TRX is something that has been pioneered by the likes of MicroStrategy, which used its Bitcoin treasury as collateral for its shares, but it is a way for traditional investors to get exposure to the TRON ecosystem through the equity markets.
TRX: Price and Performance Lined Up Side-by-Side - What You Need to Know!
The native token of TRON, TRX, has been a bit of a rollercoaster since it was born. At the beginning, TRX was relatively cheap, selling for tiny fractions of a penny. But with the growth of the TRON ecosystem8 came interest in TRX. The token has seen two bull runs, with its price reaching an ATH of around $0.30 in early 2018. This initial spike can be attributed to hype and the overall bullish attitude that pervaded in the crypto market back in Spring.
TRX has established itself as one of the top 20 cryptocurrency rankings by market cap over the years. The way it has moved has closely followed general crypto market directions, but has also managed to keep its value during bear markets, in part thanks to a large user base and continuous network activity. As of July, 2025, TRX has really evolved into a stable asset with a market cap in excess of $20 billion. The token's value has been on the rise as more and more people use TRON and its network. Between the network's dirt-cheap transactions fees and its stranglehold on the stablecoin market, this makes TRX's value a lot more robust compared to some of the wild price swings seen with other altcoins.
Here is TRX price at different periods in history:
- September 2017 (Launch): ~$0.002
- January 2018 (All-Time High): ~$0.3065
- July 2020: ~$0.017
- July 2022: ~$0.06
- December of 2024: ~$0.42
- July 2025: ~$0.33
This price data is evidence of TRX's steady growth and how it continues to fight off the substantial price changes of the often-erratic crypto market. It's turned out to be a survivor, shape-shifting to suit the shifting needs of the cryptosphere.
Beyond Transactions: Why It's Not the Best Idea to Burn TRX
One of the striking features of the TRON network is how it applies transaction fees with a mechanism of "Bandwidth" and "Energy." Basic TRX transfers between wallets for example use up Bandwidth, and you can lock (stake) some of your TRX to receive it for free. 5,000 Bandwidth points are credited to any TRON account available to spent on daily basis. More complicated transactions, involving smart contracts for example, require Energy, which can also be acquired by freezing TRX. This two-resource model attempts to the efficiency and tolerability of the network.
This system results in transactions on the TRON network being essentially free for most users. But in case a user does not have sufficient Energy, they can burn TRX to pay for the transaction. This may seem like a nice convenience, but it's the most expensive way to put your TRX to use. The amount of TRX that is burned is dynamically calculated based on the cost of Energy needed for a transaction, and is often much higher than acquiring Energy through other payment models.
Here's why:
Staking Rewards: If you stake your TRX, you not only earn the right to use Energy for transactions but also get a steady return, usually about 4-6% per year. This is your TRX working for you, earning passive income. Burning TRX, however, is a one-time cost. When you stake your TRX, you are essentially "freezing" it for a period in order to help the network and, as a reward, you receive both bandwidth and more TRX.
Deflationary Tokenomics: TRON introduced a fee-burning mechanism, like Ethereum's EIP-1559, in 2023. This is to say, TRX used for the transaction fees will be deducted from circulation. This renders the overall supply of TRX deflationary, thus driving the value up of the remaining tokens. Burning your TRX on a per transaction basis goes against this deflationary pressure. By burning your Tron rather than staking it, Vin, you are helping to create long-term value for the network at the expense of the short-term price of a deflationary asset.
DeFi Ecosystem: TRON hosts a bustling and expanding DeFi space, with offerings like JustLend, SunSwap and JustStables providing countless opportunities to earn yield on your TRX. You read that right: you can maintain the separation of powers and still earn crazy returns on your TRX, far more than what you would lose on fees to do so by engaging in these DeFi protocols. The DeFi returns can be much higher than the staking rewards, but they come with much more risk.
Instead of celebrating by burning your TRX, here are a few options:
- Stake your TRX: This is the easiest way to get the Energy you need to make transactions and even earn a little return. Staking is a relatively low-risk method of getting involved in the TRON ecosystem and is open to both beginners and seasoned users.
- Lend your TRX on JustLend: Earn interest from borrowers by lending your TRX on JustLend, creating a passive income stream. It's a smart way to earn a much higher yield than staking but it does carry that smart contract risk.
- Provide liquidity on SunSwap: Offer liquidity to a trading pair on SunSwap like TRX/USDT and earn a portion of the trade fees. It's a slightly more advanced DeFi strategy that can be incredibly lucrative, but also has the risk of impermanent loss.
- Check out other DeFi opportunities: The TRON network is an ever-changing entity with new DeFi protocols and yield farming opportunities going live on a regular basis. Just do your homework and learn the most efficient ways to use your TRX to your advantage. Remember to stay up to date with the risk factors involved and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
- Rent Energy on Netts.io: webform, Workspace, API - you have many choices to decide how exactly. You can set a trigger for Energy refill or rent out specific amount for specific time - in a matter of seconds.
The Future of TRON: A Stablecoin Superhighway and Beyond
TRON has also evolved a lot from its early days as a decentralized content platform. Today, it's a shining example of the traction that can be achieved via product-market fit in the rapidly changing world of crypto. The network's emphasis on stablecoins has turned it into an essential tool in the global financial infrastructure, handling billions of dollars in transactions each day reliably and quickly. The TRON network has become the most popular settlement layer for Tether, becoming a network that has more than $60 bearing Tether.
As for now, the future of TRON looks promising. The latest developments, from a decision to go public to the burgeoning DeFi ecosystem, are all indications of a project that is continuously hungry to innovate and stretch how high the bar can be set. Integration into the Solana ecosystem, and the discussions of a TRON ETF, are also signs of how big this project wants to be, and its aim for the global credit market. In the age of tokenization, TRON is in the right place at the right time in order to take its place as a major player in the new digital economy. With its low cost, high throughput, and active community, TRON is much more than a digital asset; it's an environment for the future of the financial industry. Native Token's focus on the users, and on investing in their experience, as well as on developing a rock-solid, scalable infrastructure are going to be determining in the years to follow.