DAP Phase 1 Approved: Polkadot Staking, Burns, and Risk Flow Get Rewired in March

DAP Phase 1 Approved: Polkadot Staking, Burns, and Risk Flow Get Rewired in March

Overview

DAP Phase 1 is now approved and scheduled for enactment on or before March 14, 2026. This is not a minor parameter update; it changes where protocol value flows and establishes a governance-directed buffer that alters staking economics and risk exposure.

Under Phase 1, DOT flows that were previously burned are redirected into a Dynamic Allocation Pool account, and slashes are routed there as well. The design shifts value from destruction mechanics toward governance-controlled allocation and treasury-style deployment choices.

Context

Validator-side guardrails become stricter with a 10,000 DOT minimum self-stake and a 10% minimum commission baseline. Forum guidance also flags chilling risk for under-threshold operators during rollout windows tied to runtime upgrade timing in mid-to-late March.

Nominator risk shifts too: approved direction makes nominators unslashable and reduces unbonding to roughly 24-48 hours once they no longer back active validators. Operators should prepare for policy, incentive, and monitoring updates before enactment lands on-chain.