Chiliz (CHZ) is the native token of Chiliz Chain, an EVM-compatible Proof-of-Staked-Authority Layer-1 blockchain (chain ID 88888) built to power sports and entertainment fan-engagement applications, primarily the Socios.com platform.
CHZ also circulates as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, the original pre-migration contract still used for bridging and exchange custody, and, following an omnichain (OFT) expansion around July 2026, as bridged instances on Base and Solana. The token underpins transactions involving sports-club Fan Tokens issued across the network.
Chiliz differentiates itself by linking CHZ demand directly to real-world sports commerce rather than purely speculative activity.
Under its current tokenomics, 10% of all Fan Token revenue generated across the ecosystem is directed toward ongoing CHZ buybacks, and a "mint-and-burn" mechanic mints Fan Tokens on a sponsored team's loss and burns them on a win. The ecosystem reports partnerships with more than 170 sports organizations, and Chiliz is positioning the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a growth catalyst for new national-team Fan Token launches.
CHZ functions primarily as a utility and staking token rather than a pure governance token, though it also carries voting rights on protocol parameters.
On Chiliz Chain, CHZ pays network gas fees and can be delegated by holders to validators as staking power in a non-custodial manner. Holders also use CHZ to participate in on-chain governance proposals affecting protocol, validator, and tokenomics parameters, and to acquire sports-club Fan Tokens across the ecosystem.
CHZ has no fixed maximum supply; circulating supply stood at approximately 10,513,303,112 CHZ.
Net emission is therefore inflationary under the current schedule.
Chiliz raised over $65 million in a private placement in June 2018 led by Binance, rather than through a public ICO or IEO. Other participants included OK Blockchain Capital, FBG Capital, Ceyuan Ventures, and Bancor.
Tokens were sold for a mix of fiat, BTC, and ETH. The CHZ Ethereum contract was deployed on 2018-10-26 with a fixed total supply of 8,888,888,888 tokens, ahead of the project's later shift to an uncapped emission model.
CHZ runs natively on Chiliz Chain, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain using Proof of Staked Authority (PoSA) consensus. Its active validator set comprises 11 validators, selected by a mix of stake weight and reputation.
CHZ additionally exists as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum and, as of an omnichain (OFT) expansion around July 2026, as bridged instances on Base and Solana, giving each supported chain a unified token supply without wrapped-token fragmentation.
Chiliz was founded by Alexandre Dreyfus, who serves as CEO and previously founded interactive-tourism company Webcity and co-founded the online poker platform Winamax.
Other named leadership includes Max Rabinovitch (Chief Strategy Officer), Thibaut Pelletier (Chief Technology Officer), Beatrice Collet (Managing Director), and Emma Diskin (Chief Operating Officer).
Chiliz was established in 2018 by Alexandre Dreyfus as a blockchain platform built by Maltese sports and entertainment company Mediarex.
Chiliz, together with Socios.com, is headquartered in Sliema, Malta, and operates as the "Chiliz Group," encompassing Chiliz Chain, Socios.com, and, per 2026 roadmap material, ChilizX. The ecosystem reports partnerships with more than 170 sports organizations globally.
Chiliz Chain uses on-chain governance in which CHZ holders can delegate staking power to validators and vote on protocol proposals without giving up custody of their tokens.
A notable governance action, the "Dragon 8" tokenomics proposal, passed an on-chain vote with 85.13% in favor and 0% against, taking effect on 2024-05-06. Governance proposal records are published in a public changelog. Governance appears scoped to protocol, validator, and tokenomics parameters rather than a full treasury-controlling DAO.
Chiliz's near-term roadmap centers on the 2026 FIFA World Cup and cross-chain expansion.
CertiK lists five completed audits of Chiliz on its Security Leaderboard, the most recent delivered on 2023-10-17. That audit identified 7 findings (3 major, 1 medium, 2 minor, 1 informational), all reported as acknowledged by the project.
An earlier CertiK audit requested 2021-02-06 covered an upgradeable ERC-20 proxy implementation, and Halborn has separately audited Chiliz's Oracle Contracts. On the Ethereum contract, the top 10 holders control approximately 69% of tracked supply, a concentration figure limited to that single chain.