Polkadot researchers propose major change to staked DOT unbonding process

3 months ago

Two researchers astatine Web3 Foundation, the enactment down Polkadot, are requesting comments connected a connection to trim the unbonding clip for staked DOT tokens.

Alistair Stewart, the caput of probe astatine the Web3 Foundation, and Jonas Gehrlein submitted the connection to the Polkadot Fellowship committee connected June 19.

The proposal

The connection introduces a flexible unbonding mechanics for Polkadot’s autochthonal DOT token and its canary network, Kusama’s KSM token, portion enhancing idiosyncratic acquisition and maintaining web security.

The cardinal facet of the connection is to shorten the minimum unbonding play from 28 days to 2 days. According to the proposal’s GitHub document:

“New requests are executed with a minimum of 2 days, erstwhile the queue is comparatively empty, to the accepted 28 days, if the sum of requests (in presumption of stake) transcend immoderate threshold.”

The researchers further explained that the unbonding durations volition standard according to the fig of requests successful the queue but volition not transcend the existent 28-day maximum.

If approved, the connection volition expedite the unbonding process portion maintaining Polkadot’s quality to slash tokens backing malicious validators. This means tokens volition not beryllium unbonded immediately, but the process volition beryllium importantly faster.

Meanwhile, the connection focuses solely connected staking locks, leaving different locks, similar governance locks, unchanged. The researchers besides suggested piloting the exemplary connected Kusama earlier implementing it connected Polkadot.

Community Concerns

Lurpis Wang, cofounder of the Polkadot-based Liquid Staking protocol Bifrost, expressed concerns astir imaginable centralization risks posed by the proposal. He argued that reducing the unbonding clip would not code the centralization issues linked with the liquid staking protocol.

Similarly, Gregus Jakub, the cofounder of Hydration, echoed concerns astir the imaginable centralization risks attached to the caller proposal, stating:

“Liquid staking didn’t proliferate connected Polkadot much than anyplace else, really its dramatically little than connected different networks. I would reason that existent acceptable is centralized already a batch but w/o immoderate engagement of LST providers, P2P ~ 10% of stake, past Jaco, Zug Capital, possibly immoderate different and we mightiness beryllium casual astir 33% of PoS information threshold.”

In response, Gehrlein emphasized that the connection aims to amended the idiosyncratic acquisition without undermining liquid staking providers. He stated:

“This connection is not designed to undermine liquid staking providers but alternatively to amended UX for users that take to involvement straight connected the Relay Chain anyway.”

The station Polkadot researchers suggest large alteration to staked DOT unbonding process appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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