Polkadot Forces Validators to Self-Stake Amid Staking Redesign
Polkadot is moving to remove two significant barriers to staking, and it's happening through a single on-chain vote. The proposal, known as Referendum 1890, requires every validator to lock at least 10,000 DOT of their own funds as self-stake by May 31. This change clears the way for a wider staking redesign, with new validator rewards arriving by mid-June.
According to Polkadot's governance system, OpenGov, there is currently 100% support for the proposal. Validators who fail to post the bond risk being chilled, or pushed out of the active set. The change forces economic risk onto validators themselves, rather than relying on capital delegated by nominators.
Once the referendum passes, nominators become unslashable, and the unbonding period drops from 28 days to roughly 24-48 hours. This redesign goes beyond a single tweak, as Polkadot's team plans to add rewards for validators in unlocked DOT tied to their self-stake by mid-June.