Onchain Rewards and NOVA Buybacks Go Live

Turning the rewards protocol into a live system

On July 2, 2026, onchain rewards and NOVA buybacks went live. This was the point where the rewards protocol moved from an announcement into an operating part of Nova Wallet. As a developer, my focus was on making the live system legible. Users needed to see relevant activity in the wallet without relying on vague status messages or promotional claims.

We treated onchain rewards as wallet data. The interface needed to connect an event to the account and present the result in the same activity context users already understood. NOVA buybacks also needed accurate naming and a clear place in the product. We did not want either system to feel like a separate campaign layered over the wallet. It had to behave like part of the underlying Nova experience.

Going live also changed the testing requirements. A design can look clear with sample data, but real onchain activity introduces timing, state changes, and cases where information is not immediately complete. We worked to make those states visible rather than hiding them. The wallet should tell the user what it knows, what is still processing, and where an event appears once confirmed.

This release improved Nova by making rewards observable in the same product people used to manage assets. It also reinforced our approach to trust. Onchain rewards should be verifiable through activity, and the interface should not overstate what a user may receive. Bringing rewards and NOVA buybacks live gave us a stronger foundation for explaining value flows while keeping the wallet direct and accountable.

Read more from the team in Nova Journal