At the end of August, the TRON network surprised its users with a major update: on August 30, 2025, transaction fees were officially reduced by 60%. The initiative was approved by the Super Representatives — the network’s key validators. This is the largest change in TRON’s fee model in recent years. According to Justin Sun, the move is aimed at making the blockchain more accessible to a wider audience and developers.
Fees have always been one of the most sensitive topics in the stablecoin ecosystem, especially for USDT transfers on TRON. That’s why the drastic cut immediately became the week’s main headline.
Why Were Fees Reduced?
The reason is clear — competition for users. Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, and TON are all actively lowering entry barriers and speeding up transactions. TRON has long been considered the “king of stablecoins” thanks to the massive circulation of USDT in its network. However, even relatively low fees still created friction in certain scenarios — from large transfers to DeFi operations.
Now the direction is obvious:
- fees have been cut by 60%;
- a quarterly audit of fee levels is planned, taking into account TRX price and network load;
- priority is on expanding the user base and simplifying the launch of dApp projects.
Proposal #789: What Changes for Smart Contracts
Just days before the official fee cut, Proposal #789 was published. It suggested lowering the energy cost — the resource required to execute smart contracts on TRON:
- reducing the unit price of energy from 210 sun to 100 sun;
- cutting smart contract execution costs by more than half;
- the main beneficiaries would be DeFi protocols and active dApps with heavy contract usage.
If this proposal is fully approved, both users and developers will gain a double advantage: cheaper basic transfers and more affordable smart contract operations.
Market Reaction: Pros and Risks
Pros
- 📉 Cheaper USDT transfers. For most everyday scenarios, costs drop significantly.
- 👨💻 Easier for developers to launch. The entry barrier for building and scaling dApps on TRC-20 is lowered.
- 🚀 More new users. The issue of “hidden” or unpredictable fees fades into the background.
Risks
- 💸 Less TRX burning. Lower fees mean fewer tokens burned, weakening deflationary dynamics.
- ⚖️ Potential inflationary pressure. If network activity doesn’t rise, the tokenomics model could face sustainability issues.
- ❓ Investor trust questions. Some see the move as a short-term strategy to boost attention and volume.
What It Means for Users and Developers
If you regularly transfer USDT between exchanges and wallets, you’re already saving money. For DeFi users and dApp integrators, the potential approval of Proposal #789 will further reduce the cost of complex transactions, positively affecting product economics and user interaction frequency.
At the same time, if you’re evaluating TRX as an investment asset, it’s important to monitor the balance between lower fees and TRX burning. This directly impacts the token’s long-term supply and market expectations.
Our Take
The 60% fee cut in TRON is a timely and pragmatic step. Users benefit from cheaper stablecoin transfers, and developers gain easier conditions to launch and scale TRC-20 products. At the same time, reduced TRX burning raises the bar for network activity: the more active the usage, the quicker potential economic drawbacks are offset.
Given TRON’s massive USDT volumes, the network has a real chance to turn this move into a long-term advantage — provided competitors don’t outpace it with their own improvements in user experience and transaction costs.
