Polkadot referendum: validators must post 10,000 DOT by May 31

Polkadot governance has put Referendum 1890 before holders, requiring validators to lock at least 10,000 DOT of their own funds by May 31. If enacted, the change would make nominators unslashable and reduce the unbonding period from 28 days to 24-48 hours.

OpenGov shows unanimous support for the proposal and targets enactment for May 31. The project’s governance post warns that “non-compliant validators will face significant risk of chilling,” and notes validators must post the 10,000 DOT before the deadline to avoid removal or penalties.

The proposal calls for the network to start awarding additional rewards to validators in unlocked DOT tied to their self-stake by mid-June. Once an issuance buffer begins funding stablecoin payouts, those DOT rewards will be placed on a one-year vesting schedule.

Under the plan, stablecoins issued by the network will cover operational expenses. The proposal says the current validator commission model will be phased out because commissions would no longer be needed to fund operations.

The redesign shifts slashing risk to validators through larger self-bond exposure while allowing nominators to collect rewards without risking their principal to validator slashing events. The proposal summary adds, “If enacted, Polkadot staking would remove its two largest barriers to participation: Lower risk. Faster exits.”

Polkadot developers and stakeholders say further technical work is required to implement the full staking redesign. Remaining tasks include defining the timing and mechanics of reward distribution, starting the issuance buffer, and enforcing validator compliance.

Polkadot’s existing model currently shares slashing risk between nominators and validators and enforces a 28-day unbonding period. Referendum 1890 would reverse the shared-risk arrangement by increasing validators’ required self-stake while shortening and accelerating access to staked funds for nominators.