LayerZero Slashes Testnets, Ditches Legacy Transaction Modes
LayerZero Labs announced significant changes to its ecosystem on September 15, affecting token holders, developers, and bridge users. The most critical update is that STG token holders have until December 15, 2026, to convert their tokens to ZRO at a fixed rate of 1 STG = 0.08634 ZRO.
The conversion window will close permanently after the deadline, so token holders who haven't already done so should take action soon. The acquisition terms agreed upon in 2025 locked in this conversion rate, which won't change before the deadline.
Another key change is that Stargate will transition to an exclusively Taxi-based transaction model starting October 1, 2026. Currently, Stargate offers different transaction modes with varying speed and cost trade-offs. Taxi prioritizes speed over batching efficiency, so users who've built workflows or integrations around other transaction modes need to update them before the deadline.
LayerZero is also reducing its testnet footprint by the end of October 2026, eliminating approximately ninety percent of supported testnets. This change aims to simplify the product surface for users and reduce operational overhead for the team.