SSV Network Ends Legacy Incentives, Pushes ETH Migration
The SSV Network has announced the end of legacy cluster incentives under its Incentivized Mainnet Program (IMP), effective June 30, 2026. This move aligns with Ethereum's evolving staking environment and simplifies validator operations by using ETH for both fee payments and rewards.
Validators are urged to migrate to ETH-denominated fees before the deadline to avoid losing access to economic incentives linked to their clusters. Unclaimed IMP rewards from the legacy system remain available until January 2, 2027, after which they will revert to the DAO Treasury.
The shift to ETH-based fees reflects broader changes in Ethereum's staking infrastructure. Ethereum's post-Merge proof-of-stake system and subsequent Pectra updates have fundamentally altered validator economics. By scaling fees based on a validator's effective balance and using ETH for payments, SSV's new model better aligns with these shifts.
Validators who wish to migrate to ETH-denominated fees can do so via the SSV Network app, switching their cluster fee model to ETH and funding the operational runway. Gas fees in ETH are required for the claim process of outstanding IMP rewards accrued before June 30, 2026.