From Paolo:
Staking on Polkadot just became easier
Referendum 1910 has now been enacted, introducing one of the most significant improvements to the staking experience on Polkadot.
From today:
- Nominators are no longer slashable
- The nominator unbonding period has been reduced from 28 days to approximately 2 days (2 eras).**
These changes make staking simpler and more flexible while preserving the network’s security guarantees.
Why this is possible
Earlier this year, Polkadot introduced a minimum self-stake requirement for validators.
Validators are now required to maintain meaningful self-stake, ensuring they have sufficient capital at risk when securing the network. As a result, validators continue to bear the risk of slashing directly on their own stake.
Removing nominator slashing also eliminates the need for a 28-day unbonding period, which previously existed largely to keep funds available in case slashing needed to be applied.
With that requirement gone, nominator unbonding can now be reduced to approximately two days.
What changes?
For Nominators
You can no longer be slashed.
Unbonding now completes in approximately 2 days, down from 28 days.
For Validators
Nothing changes.
Validators remain responsible for securing the network and continue to maintain a minimum self-stake, remain subject to slashing, and retain existing validator unbonding and slash deferral periods.
A carefully sequenced upgrade
These changes were intentionally introduced only after the active validator set had fully converged on the new minimum self-stake requirements established through Referendum 1909.
That sequencing ensures the security model remains intact while delivering a substantially improved staking experience for nominators.
Existing unbonding requests
If you began unbonding before Referendum 1910 took effect, your request will continue under the original 28-day schedule. Users can migrate to the shortened schedule by utilizing a single batch_all to rebond and restart unbonding.
The new two-day unbonding period applies only to unbonding requests created after the upgrade.