NEAR Votes to Cut Its Issuance Ceiling From 2.5% to 1.6%, but the Change Isn't Live Yet

By Kevin · 2026-11-04 · News

Nov. 4 (CandyPulse) — NEAR Protocol is moving to slow down how many new tokens it creates. Its on-chain governance body, the House of Stake, approved a proposal to cut NEAR's maximum annual issuance from 2.5% to 1.6%, roughly a 36% reduction in the ceiling.

Key takeaways

The House of Stake approved HSP-029, cutting NEAR's issuance ceiling from 2.5% to 1.6%
The cut is planned in phases over 24 months, reducing issuance per epoch
It is not live yet: it needs Security Council review, a 90-day grace period and a protocol upgrade validators must adopt
90% of new issuance still goes to stakers, 10% to the treasury
The 2.5% figure is a ceiling, not the actual rate paid out today

What changes, and when

Item	Detail
Proposal	HSP-029
Approved by	House of Stake (NEAR governance)
Current ceiling	2.5% a year
New ceiling	1.6% a year
Rollout	Phased over 24 months, per epoch
Still required	Security Council review, 90-day grace period, validator upgrade
Issuance split	90% stakers / 10% treasury

Why it matters for holders

Issuance is how a proof-of-stake network pays the people who secure it. More new tokens mean higher staking rewards, but also more dilution for everyone holding. A lower ceiling means less new supply over time, and according to 24/7 Wall St., it would put NEAR's maximum below Solana's current rate.

The trade-off is that staking rewards will likely fall as the cut phases in. How it plays out depends on how many people stake, how validators respond and how NEAR's fee burn interacts with the new ceiling. Less supply doesn't guarantee a higher price; demand still has to show up. For a refresher, read what staking is and how you earn rewards and what token unlocks do to price.

A busy stretch for NEAR

The vote follows Bitwise launching the first US spot NEAR ETF and NEAR Intents restarting after a $3.8 million exploit.

What's next

Watch for the Security Council review, the start of the 90-day grace period and the validator upgrade that turns the vote into code. Until then, current issuance rules stay in place. More in today's crypto news.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile and can lose value. Always do your own research before making any investment decision.