Originally published at mrnasdog.com/research/cfg/full by MrNasdog.
This is a MrNasdog Pressure Framework analysis of Centrifuge (CFG) on Metric 1 (sell pressure) and Metric 2 (buy pressure). Narrative (Metric 3) is covered separately. The short version: CFG is the native token of the Centrifuge Chain (Polkadot ecosystem), an RWA-focused Substrate L1. Modest PoS inflation, no scheduled vesting today, Centrifuge Foundation reserves as Tag B.
The setup
Centrifuge is the original on-chain RWA platform — tokenizes off-chain credit (invoices, real estate, treasury bills) into DeFi-usable assets. CFG is the native token of Centrifuge Chain, a Substrate-based parachain (Polkadot ecosystem). There's also a CFG ERC-20 wrap on Ethereum (0xc221…d8e312) for DeFi composability, but the native asset lives on Centrifuge Chain.
Live numbers, origin-first from Centrifuge official docs + chain RPC:
- Total supply: ~578.4M CFG (per CoinGecko cross-check)
- Genesis: ~400M at launch (2021); current supply reflects PoS inflation since
- Inflation: ~3%/yr nominal (Substrate PoS rewards to nominators + collators)
- Price ~$0.29 → market cap ~$170M (FDV similar; no hard cap, just nominal inflation)
- Centrifuge Foundation + Tinlake operators hold reserves for grants + ecosystem
- Real-world assets backed by CFG-secured pools: ~$500M+ TVL in tokenized credit + treasuries
The sell ledger
What the design predictably puts on the market.
| # | Source | Tag | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Protocol inflation — PoS rewards to nominators/collators | Tag A | ~3%/yr nominal, ~17M CFG/yr |
| 2 | Vesting unlocks (still-locked allocations on schedule) | — | ~0 — 2021 ICO + team vests largely complete |
| 3 | Team / DAO / identified-group holdings | Tag B | Centrifuge Foundation + early Tinlake operators — TBD |
| 4 | Bankruptcy estate | — | 0 |
Inflation is the headline. Substrate-based chains typically run a 2–10% PoS inflation rate; Centrifuge's recent target is ~3%/yr. At ~578M supply that's ~17M CFG/yr added to the circulating float, paid to nominators and collators.
Vesting is near zero. The 2021 distribution (24% community + 14% early backers + 27% team/contributors + 27% community sale + 8% liquidity) had 1–4 year vests; the last cliffs concluded by 2025. Nothing on a hard schedule today.
Tag B is the Centrifuge Foundation + identified ecosystem operators. The Foundation holds reserves for grants, the original Tinlake protocol team holdings, and DAO treasury items. Discretionary. Flagged TBD pending Substrate-aware enumeration.
The buy ledger
What the design predictably takes off the market.
| # | Source | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revenue-backed buyback | 0 — no buyback contract |
| 2 | Burn mechanism | 0 structural |
| 3 | Locked allocations | — context only (CFG staked for nomination, ~7-day unbond = liquid) |
| 4 | Protocol-level demand (RWA pool fees, governance) | Tag B small — variable with RWA activity |
No structural buyback or burn. RWA pool fees on Centrifuge generate revenue, but the protocol does not route those fees back to CFG as a buyback. Protocol-level demand exists — CFG is needed for nominator selection and governance — but it's modest relative to the inflation flow.
Net position
- Sell, Tag A: ~17M CFG/yr (3% inflation)
- Buy, Tag A: essentially 0 (no buyback, no burn, narrow protocol demand)
- Net structural dilution: roughly ~3%/yr on the predictable Tag A layer
Same shape as NEAR (PoS inflation, no buyback offset) — modest scale of dilution but unfavorable structurally.
Compared to the rest of our coverage:
- BNB / OKB / ETH: net deflationary or flat — favorable
- HYPE / SKY: revenue-linked buyback — favorable
- CFG / NEAR: ~2.5–3%/yr inflation, no buy — unfavorable
- TAO / SUI / ONDO: high unfavorable
What could flip the buy ledger
A protocol revenue routing to CFG buyback would do it — no such mechanism today. The natural buyer for CFG is RWA pool activity; if RWA TVL scales meaningfully and a protocol fee goes to a structural buy, the picture changes.
What to watch
- Centrifuge Chain validator + nominator stake — drives effective inflation distribution; check via the Centrifuge / Polkadot.js explorer.
- RWA pool TVL on Centrifuge — fees + protocol demand.
- Centrifuge Foundation discretionary activity — Tag B watch.
- Any governance proposal on fee-share or buyback — would move the buy ledger off zero.
MrNasdog Pressure Framework analysis of CFG, Metrics 1 & 2. Data + explanation only. Not financial advice. Numbers as of May 2026.
Data note: Total supply cross-checked via CoinGecko. Inflation rate per Centrifuge official tokenomics docs; precise per-epoch reward requires querying the Centrifuge Chain via Polkadot.js or the Substrate RPC. CFG ERC-20 wrap on Ethereum is for DeFi composability; the native asset lives on Centrifuge Chain. Foundation balance + Tag B figures flagged as TBD pending Substrate-aware enumeration.
