> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://candora.gitbook.io/whitepaper/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://candora.gitbook.io/whitepaper/can-token.md).

# CAN Token

Economic Overview

The CAN token serves as the primary utility asset of the Candora ecosystem. Its utility is architected to align participant incentives with protocol sustainability while maintaining a strict functional separation between the base exchange and premium services.

### **Economic Foundation**

The CAN token powers the transition from a standard trading venue to an advanced, resource-aware environment. By utilizing CAN as the settlement asset for all premium layers, the protocol ensures that the costs of high-intensity infrastructure, including computation, risk management, and settlement, are borne by the participants using those specific resources, rather than socializing those costs across the broader user base.

### **Functional Pillars**

The token economy is organized into three primary operational pillars:

* Pro Tier Settlement: CAN serves as the exclusive asset for subscription access and usage-based billing within Candora Pro. Subscription access includes Liquidity Mirror, Anti-Spoof, Order Shield, Slippage Protection, and Panic Button. Usage-based pricing applies to selected protection features and is calibrated according to market conditions, liquidity depth, and system-wide protection demand.
* Edge Computational Ecosystem: CAN fuels the Cortex-backed computational layer. Usage of the AI agent marketplace, autonomous strategy execution, and intensive reasoning frameworks is settled in CAN, ensuring that compute-heavy operations contribute directly to the infrastructure resources they consume.
* Staking and Rewards: Staking CAN provides participants with tiered fee optimization and ecosystem participation benefits. This utility is structured to reward long-term commitment while acting as an economic participation mechanism, distinct from the exchange's core market-risk infrastructure.

### **Operational Integrity**

To ensure Candora remains a fair and institutional-grade venue, the token's economic design adheres to two non-negotiable principles:

* Execution Neutrality: Token utility is strictly confined to the Pro and analytical layers. CAN holdings or staking status provide zero influence over the Orbit matching engine, execution sequencing, queue position, fill quality, market access, or latency treatment, ensuring the base exchange remains a pure price-time priority venue under normal conditions. Execution handling remains independently auditable through exchange records and system-state reconstruction.
* Resource Accountability: The use of CAN for usage-based billing ensures that premium protection features, which consume genuine system capacity, are priced according to their actual operational footprint.