- The Polkadot DAO approved Referendum 1710 to cap DOT supply at 2.1 billion with 81% support.
- Issuance will step down every two years starting March 14, 2026 under the Hard Pressure schedule.
The Polkadot DAO has voted to introduce a hard cap on DOT supply at 2.1 billion, passing Referendum 1710 with an on-chain tally showing 81 percent in favor.
Referendum 1710 passes in “Wish For Change” track with execution confirmed
The measure ran on Polkadot’s “Wish For Change” governance track and is recorded as executed on the project’s governance portals. The official result lists 81.1 percent Aye against 18.9 percent Nay, with issuance at roughly 1.6 billion DOT at the time of tally.
Polkadot’s announcement on X framed the decision as a shift to a capped model for the first time, replacing an uncapped framework that previously added tokens each year.
🚨 DOT supply → capped at 2.1 Billion 🚨
The Polkadot DAO has signaled support for a hard cap, by passing Referendum 1710 on the “Wish For Change” track, with 81% in favor.
Today ⤵️
→ 1.6 Billion DOT exist
→ 120M DOT/year minted each year
→ No supply capWhat Ref. 1710… pic.twitter.com/OJMtDumAZC
— Polkadot (@Polkadot) September 14, 2025
Biennial step changes cut emissions by 53.6 percent initially and begin on March 14, 2026
The adopted “Hard Pressure Capped & Stepped Supply” schedule adds new DOT in two-year steps equal to 13.14 percent of the remaining gap to the 2.1 billion cap.
The first adjustment is scheduled for March 14, 2026. Governance documentation indicates an initial 53.6 percent reduction in emissions relative to the prior system, with the cap projected to be reached over the long term.
Under OpenGov, other monetary parameters remain adjustable. Items such as the percentage of fees burned, the treasury share, coretime burn, and validator commission can be tuned through future proposals.
This framework leaves room to calibrate incentives as block rewards decline and as non-inflation revenue sources such as coretime and services are developed.
The governance portals also note the intent to enshrine the model in Polkadot’s upcoming JAM architecture. Proponents describe the change as a move toward fiscal responsibility that encourages the network to cut expenses and increase revenue rather than rely on perpetual issuance.
Critics in delegate commentaries argued for more embedded analysis within the on-chain proposal text and raised questions about long-term sustainability.
The hard cap alters the basis for staking rewards and treasury funding because both have historically drawn from new issuance. As emissions fall, DOT holders and parachain teams will watch how staking participation, validator economics, and treasury outlays adjust through subsequent votes.
The governance documentation outlines comparative projections for staking yields versus other networks across future step dates and sets expectations for how market capitalization targets could offset lower inflation-funded spend.
The decision marks a notable reconfiguration of Polkadot’s token mechanics led through on-chain governance. Execution now shifts to implementation of the step schedule and to follow-on proposals that shape treasury flows and revenue sources alongside the new cap.
At the time of press the price of DOT is US$4.19, down –4.36% over the past 24 hours.
