Web3 Foundation (W3F) researchers have introduced a groundbreaking proposal, known as RFC-0092, aimed at reducing the time it takes to unstake tokens on Polkadot. The new mechanism suggests cutting the unstaking process from 28 days to just two days, offering users greater convenience and competitiveness while still prioritizing security.
The proposed unstaking overhaul centers around the unbonding system, which manages and prioritizes unstaking requests based on the size of the queue. If the proposal successfully passes the voting phase, the new system will enable the minimum unstaking duration to be reduced to two days when the queue is empty. This means that users will no longer have to wait for the current fixed period of 28 days, resulting in a faster and more efficient unstaking process.
The driving force behind the introduction of RFC-0092 is the fact that Polkadot currently has one of the longest unbonding periods compared to other proof-of-stake protocols. While staking on Polkadot offers a high annual percentage yield, the lengthy unstaking process can discourage users who may prefer faster alternatives.
To analyze the potential impact of the proposed unbonding queue mechanism, an empirical analysis was conducted using simulations. The results showed that the average time for unbonding would decrease to approximately 2.67 days, ensuring that the system remains responsive to large-scale unbonding events while still adhering to the upper limit of 28 days.
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