A plain-language guide to HSP-029, the House of Stake proposal to lower NEAR’s maximum annual issuance from 2.5% to 1.6%.

The NEAR community is voting on a proposal that would gradually reduce how many new NEAR tokens the protocol creates each year. Because most of that new supply is paid out as staking rewards, the outcome matters to anyone who stakes NEAR, directly or through a liquid staking token such as stNEAR. This guide explains what is being proposed, what would change, and what would not.

Where things stand (as of October 28, 2026)

• The proposal, HSP-029, was posted in NEAR’s House of Stake on October 7, following a discussion opened on the NEAR governance forum at the end of September.
• Voting in House of Stake opened around October 20. The proposal needs supermajority support to be ratified.
• Ratification alone does not change anything on the network. Validators would still need to adopt a protocol upgrade before the new issuance schedule takes effect.
• Today the protocol still runs with the current 2.5% maximum annual issuance.

What the proposal says

• New target: maximum annual issuance goes from 2.5% to 1.6%.
• No sudden change: after ratification, there would be a 90-day grace period, followed by a gradual reduction applied every epoch over 24 months. The 1.6% target would be reached about 27 months after ratification.
• Same distribution: new issuance would still be split 90% to staking participants and 10% to the protocol treasury.
• Longer term: the discussion also mentions moving toward a fixed total supply. That is not part of this vote and would require a separate proposal.

What would change for stakers

If the proposal is ratified and adopted, staking rewards would decline gradually, because fewer new tokens would be distributed among the same staked supply.

The proposal’s estimate uses the network’s staking participation on September 22. The real figure at the end of the ramp will depend on how much NEAR is staked at that time: if fewer tokens are staked, rewards are shared among less stake and the yield per token falls by less, and the reverse is also true.

To put it in tokens: the proposal estimates that someone staking 1,000 NEAR would earn about 21 fewer NEAR over the first two years than they would if issuance stayed at 2.5%.

The two sides of the debate

• Arguments presented in favor: lower issuance means less dilution for every holder, including those who do not stake. Supporters also point out that after the previous cut, from 5% to 2.5% in October 2025, the number of active validators rose from 342 to 382 within three months.
• Concerns raised: lower rewards for stakers and lower commission income for validators. Some community members argue this could make NEAR staking less competitive against networks that offer higher nominal yields, and could weigh on smaller validator operators.

Lower issuance reduces dilution, but it does not by itself guarantee any change in NEAR’s market price.

What would not change

• How staking works. The proposal changes the issuance schedule, not the staking contracts. Delegating to validators, liquid staking, and unstaking would work exactly as they do today.
• Your existing balance. Nothing already earned is taken back, and no balance is reduced. The change only affects rewards earned in the future, and only gradually.
• The timing. Even if ratified, nothing would change for at least the 90-day grace period, and the full reduction would be spread over the following 24 months.

If you hold stNEAR

stNEAR represents NEAR staked through Meta Pool. Rewards are added to the pool every epoch, so the amount of NEAR that each stNEAR represents grows over time while your stNEAR balance stays the same. If issuance is reduced, that growth would continue, at a slower pace in line with the network’s lower reward rate.

You do not need to do anything because of this proposal: your stNEAR keeps earning rewards, remains transferable and usable in DeFi, and can be unstaked through the usual delayed or fast options.

How to follow the vote

• House of Stake: where HSP-029 is being voted. https://houseofstake.org/proposals/29
• NEAR governance forum: where the proposal and its full modeling were published and are being discussed. https://gov.near.org/t/near-governance-discussion-reducing-issuance-to-1-6-and-the-path-to-a-fixed-supply/42595
• Validator adoption: if ratified, the change also depends on validators upgrading their nodes, which can be followed on network explorers.

Frequently asked questions

Has the issuance cut been approved? As of October 28, 2026, HSP-029 was still being voted in House of Stake. Even if it passes, validators would need to adopt a protocol upgrade before it takes effect.

When would staking rewards change? Not before the 90-day grace period after ratification. After that, rewards would decline gradually over 24 months.

Will my staked NEAR or my stNEAR balance go down? No. The proposal affects how many new tokens are created in the future, not existing balances.

Do I need to unstake or move my NEAR? No action is required by the proposal. How you stake remains your decision, based on your own needs.

Is this the first time NEAR has reduced issuance? No. In October 2025, NEAR lowered its maximum annual issuance from 5% to 2.5%.

Where can I stay informed about this topic and others across the NEAR ecosystem?

Meta Pool has been part of the NEAR ecosystem since 2021, and keeping our community informed is part of that commitment. We will follow HSP-029 through each stage (the House of Stake vote, validator adoption and, if approved, the grace period and reduction schedule) and share clear, factual updates. For this and other news that matters to NEAR stakers, such as governance proposals, network upgrades, and staking changes, follow Meta Pool on X, join our Telegram and Discord communities, and read our blog. If any change affects how stNEAR works, we will explain it there before it takes effect.

This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Meta Pool does not take a position on HSP-029; the decision belongs to the NEAR community.

Learn more about liquid staking NEAR with Meta Pool and how stNEAR works.

NEAR’s proposed issuance cut: what it would mean for stakers was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Just a year ago, NEAR Protocol was known primarily as a high-performance, sharded Layer 1 blockchain. Today, in October 2026, we see that same foundation powering a broader stack: NEAR Intents for chain abstraction, private AI on NEAR AI Cloud, and automatic scaling through dynamic resharding.

NEAR is no longer just a distributed database. With NEAR Intents, private AI, and automatic scaling, NEAR Protocol is building the infrastructure for AI agents and the on-chain autonomous economy they will run.

The Revolution of Intents: Chain Abstraction in Practice

At the center of that shift is NEAR Intents. Users and AI agents no longer need to execute every step across chains by hand. They declare an intent (for example, “swap Token A for Token B”), and a network of solvers, also called market makers, competes to fulfill it.

The results speak for themselves. Cumulative cross-chain volume has surpassed $34 billion, and September 2026 set a new monthly record at $4.80 billion. On October 7, Robinhood Chain went live on near.com: its ETH and USDG can now be swapped against 180+ assets across 30+ chains, with no bridges and no new app.

Chain abstraction is no longer a technical concept. It is a reality for users who may not even notice they are interacting with a blockchain.

Private AI: Brave Leo and NEAR AI Cloud

The AI side of the thesis is advancing just as fast. On October 15, Brave’s Leo assistant began offering private inference powered by NEAR AI Cloud. When users select the GLM 5.3 Flash mode, their chats are end-to-end encrypted into a hardware enclave (TEE) that neither Brave, NEAR AI, nor the cloud host can read.

A day later, NEAR AI launched Agent Market, where agents are hired and paid by the job. In an economy where agents manage people’s money, privacy is not a feature. It is the foundation.

Scalability at Real Scale

Behind the AI narrative lies serious engineering. In December 2025, NEAR surpassed 1 million transactions per second in a publicly verifiable benchmark, running on 70 shards. Mainnet runs on 10 shards today, which means the architecture already has proven room to grow far beyond current demand.

With the dynamic resharding upgrade in July, the network now splits shards automatically as demand grows, with no coordinated protocol upgrade required. That is exactly what an internet of thousands of simultaneous AI agents needs.

Institutional Validation and Post-Quantum Security

NEAR has arrived on Wall Street. On September 29, 2026, Bitwise launched the first U.S. spot NEAR ETF (NRR) on NYSE Arca, with in-house staking. According to NEAR’s Q3 2026 report, it attracted $48.7 million in net inflows in its first two trading days. This milestone positions NEAR not just as a technology bet, but as a core asset of the new digital economy.

At the same time, NEAR moved early on post-quantum cryptography. The same July upgrade added ML-DSA, the NIST-standardized post-quantum signature scheme, alongside its existing keys. Because NEAR accounts use rotatable access keys, users can switch to post-quantum keys today without moving their assets.

Account and transaction signing is already quantum-ready, and quantum-safe consensus is the next step on the roadmap, targeted for the end of 2027.

Security in Action: How NEAR Intents Responded

Infrastructure at this scale is defined by how it responds under pressure. Between September 29 and October 1, a bug in the NEAR Intents contract’s deposit-notification feature allowed about $3.8 million to be withdrawn. The team paused the contract, and the funds were recovered in full on October 2. The affected feature was then removed entirely.

Full recovery within days, followed by a permanent fix, is exactly the kind of response that infrastructure for autonomous agents requires.

Liquid Staking in the Agent Economy

Meta Pool was born inside the NEAR community, and today it is one of the leading liquid staking protocols on the network, with more than $100 million in total value locked. When you stake NEAR with Meta Pool, you receive stNEAR, a token that keeps earning staking rewards while your stake is spread across multiple validators. It stays fully usable across NEAR DeFi, and you can swap it back to NEAR without waiting through the unstaking period.

That combination is exactly what autonomous agents need: capital that helps secure the network and generates yield, while staying liquid enough to move the moment an agent needs it. As NEAR becomes the infrastructure for AI agents, As NEAR becomes the infrastructure for AI agents, we are watching this space closely and exploring where liquid staking can add value.

Conclusion: NEAR as the Backbone for AI Agents

NEAR Protocol is built around one clear thesis: the future of the internet will not just be humans browsing the web, but AI agents moving value and data autonomously.

Those agents will need capital that keeps working while staying available. That is where staking comes in. As our co-founder Claudio Cossio puts it, the big opportunity is getting agents to use staking as infrastructure, and it is a path we are actively exploring at Meta Pool. On NEAR, liquid staking tokens like stNEAR already earn staking rewards while remaining usable in DeFi.

With security advancing at the same pace as scalability, NEAR is building more than another blockchain option: it is building the backbone of the next internet.

Disclaimer

We’re sharing this to help you follow where NEAR is heading. It isn’t financial advice. Do your own research before you invest.

NEAR Protocol: From Layer 1 to Infrastructure for AI Agents was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A program developed by our DAO with the support of the NEAR Foundation and Openmesh

At Meta Pool, we believe decentralization becomes stronger when more people have the opportunity to participate directly in blockchain infrastructure. One year ago, we launched Node Studio with a clear goal: to make running a validator node on NEAR more accessible, simple, and community-driven.

Today, after one year of work, learning, and collaboration, we are closing this stage of the Node Studio validator support program.

This milestone would not have been possible without the participation of the node operators who joined the program and helped us bring more diversity, accessibility, and community presence to the NEAR validator ecosystem. Each node represented more than infrastructure. It represented a person, a team, or a community willing to take an active role in securing and supporting the network.

Together, the program accumulated 5,655,290 NEAR, a reflection of the trust, participation, and coordination made possible through this initiative.

We are deeply grateful for every participant who took the leap.

A Year of Participation and Learning

Node Studio was created to remove technical barriers from validator node deployment. Instead of requiring complex server setup, advanced DevOps knowledge, or large upfront infrastructure decisions, the tool allowed users to launch and operate a node through a simpler, more accessible process.

For many participants, this program became their first direct experience as node operators. For others, it was an opportunity to expand their role within the NEAR ecosystem and contribute beyond staking, governance, or community building.

Throughout the year, the program helped validate an important idea: infrastructure should not be limited to a small group of highly technical actors. With the right tools, support, and ecosystem alignment, more contributors can take part in the operation of decentralized networks.

5,243,283 NEAR Across the Program

Over the course of the year, the Node Studio validator support program accumulated 5,243,283 NEAR.

More than a number, this represents the collective effort behind the program: the NEAR Foundation’s support, the work of the Meta Pool DAO, the technical collaboration with Openmesh, and the commitment of node operators who contributed to the network through Node Studio.

This result shows what becomes possible when infrastructure is made more accessible and when ecosystem support is directed toward expanding participation.

Thank You to the Participating Nodes

We want to especially thank all the nodes that participated in the program:

intear.pool.near
frontlinedefi.pool.near
camelandgoat.pool.near
mugglenodes.pool.near
manexus.pool.near
caribnode.pool.near
spacenode.pool.near
ttt.poolv1.near
nodeshub.pool.near
node_jkt.pool.near
stakinghub.pool.near
nodosigiloso.pool.near
enigma.poolv1.near
dteamtech.pool.near
vitalpoint.pool.near
citadelone.poolv1.near
criptoplebada.pool.near
caliber.poolv1.near
poolarize.pool.near
21bulls.pool.near
web3edu.pool.near
wyvernomics.pool.near
cbaongoing.pool.near
orpheus.pool.near
mbc250.pool.near
avorio.poolv1.near
chainlabo01.pool.near
maxnode.pool.near
magnavoxodyssey.pool.near
voxdei.pool.near
everything.pool.near
croutondigital.pool.near
openmesh.pool.near
swplt.pool.near
skynode.pool.near
encebonode.pool.near
debi_pool.pool.near
metanode.pool.near
kairosresearch.pool.near
dltek-near1.pool.near
mcbovalidator.pool.near
jpnears.pool.near
jaswinder.pool.near
axianetwork.pool.near
r2n2.pool.near
nearmeta.pool.near
blockhunters.pool.near
aksanovapool.pool.near
afterworkdc.pool.near
artemis.pool.near
potlock.pool.near
waylearn.pool.near
epochguardians.pool.near
ah2030.pool.near
blocksentry.pool.near

Your participation helped us test, improve, and better understand what is needed to make validator operations more approachable for the broader community. From onboarding to monitoring, from troubleshooting to daily operations, every node contributed to the evolution of Node Studio and to the larger conversation around decentralization on NEAR.

Your commitment showed that community members are ready to engage more deeply with Web3 infrastructure when the path is clear and the tools are accessible.

Thank You to the NEAR Foundation

This program was made possible thanks to the support of the NEAR Foundation.

Their contribution helped us open the door for more node operators to join the NEAR network and gave Meta Pool the opportunity to support a more diverse validator ecosystem. The Foundation’s support was key to turning Node Studio from a product vision into a real program with active participants across the ecosystem.

We are grateful for their trust and for their commitment to strengthening decentralization on NEAR.

What Comes Next

The end of this program does not mean the end of our commitment to accessible Web3 infrastructure.

At Meta Pool, we will continue building tools, programs, and initiatives that make it easier for users, builders, and communities to participate in blockchain networks. Node Studio remains an important part of that vision, and the lessons learned during this year will help us improve how we support future infrastructure initiatives.

This year confirmed something we strongly believe: decentralization grows when participation becomes easier, more open, and more inclusive.

Our Commitment to a More Decentralized Web3

Meta Pool’s mission has always been to democratize participation in blockchain infrastructure, governance, and staking. Node Studio was a natural extension of that mission.

Over the past year, we saw community members become operators, validators become more accessible, and infrastructure become a more reachable part of the NEAR ecosystem.

To every node operator, partner, and contributor who made this year possible: thank you.

Together, we took an important step toward a more decentralized NEAR.

About Meta Pool

Meta Pool is the leading liquid staking DAO on NEAR Protocol, with a multichain presence on Ethereum, Aurora, Solana, Internet Computer, and Data Foundation. Through its products and tools, Meta Pool empowers users to participate in governance, earn staking rewards, and support decentralization across multiple networks.

About NEAR Protocol

NEAR Protocol is a fast, scalable Layer-1 blockchain focused on user experience. Its sharded architecture and usability-first design make it a strong foundation for mass Web3 adoption.

About Openmesh

Openmesh is a decentralized infrastructure provider for Web3. From nodes and networks to distributed services, Openmesh is dedicated to empowering communities with sovereign, trustless tools and infrastructure.

Node Studio Cohort 1: Completing a Year of Validator Support on NEAR was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

During early April, we teamed up with the Nightly Team on a new regional market activation initiative focused on growing adoption, strengthening ecosystems, and creating real opportunities for builders and users.

📘 What is Build Buddies?

Build Buddies is a community-driven initiative from Meta Pool, designed to empower ambassadors, allies, and Web3 enthusiasts to build local connections through in-person meetups. designed to activate local Web3 communities through accessible, in-person meetups.

In this spirit, through Build Buddies our ambassadors from Argentina, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam hosted meetups in their local regions, with over 50 attendees across the 4 events.

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇮🇳 Ahmedabad:

🇻🇳 Saigon

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

During each meetup, attendees got hands-on with Nightly Wallet — diving into its features, exploring supported chains, learning how to stake, and discovering everything the Nightly Wallet has to offer.

About Nightly Wallet

Nightly Wallet is a friendly extension, that allows you to manage your tokens and NFTs nicely and easily. It allows to send and swap tokens, and display all NFTs in one place.

Learn more at: Nightly Wallet — Multichain Crypto Wallet

Building Together: A Global Recap of Build Buddies x Nightly Meetups was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As of April 1, 60 selected validators from Node Studio Cohort 3 are actively participating in the NEAR network.

On March 20, applications for the third cohort of the Node Studio program officially closed. Following a rigorous evaluation process that included hundreds of candidates, 60 operators were selected.

Today, those 60 validators are live. They are processing transactions, contributing to network security, and actively participating in the NEAR ecosystem.

This is not a forward-looking announcement. It is the confirmation of a system already in operation.

What This Represents

Node Studio was designed with a clear objective: to make validator operations a software-driven experience rather than an infrastructure barrier.

The goal was to enable individuals to run production-grade validators without requiring advanced DevOps expertise or facing unnecessary technical friction.

With Cohort 3, this model is now operating at scale.

Sixty new operators, many without prior technical experience, are now active validators on NEAR. They are securing the network, earning rewards, and developing capabilities while operating in real conditions.

This is what practical decentralization looks like.

Program Commitments

To support the success of these 60 validators, the program includes:

• 2,400,000 NEAR in direct delegation (40,000 per validator).
• 4,140 NEAR distributed annually in ecosystem contribution rewards.
• 24/7 technical support for all participants.
• Production-ready infrastructure from day one.
• An incentive system designed to reward ecosystem impact, not only uptime.

Total committed capital: 3,085,185 NEAR

This represents active capital currently deployed within the network.

A Different Type of Validator

While onboarding validators is not inherently complex, Node Studio focuses on a different profile of operator.

Participants are expected to act not only as node operators, but as ecosystem contributors. This includes:

• Bringing new stake into the network.
• Creating educational and technical content.
• Supporting community growth and onboarding.
• Contributing to the broader development of the ecosystem.

To reinforce this model, the program includes a quarterly incentive structure where the top four validators, based on measurable ecosystem impact, can earn up to 259 NEAR in additional rewards.

Validators who limit their participation to node operations benefit from baseline staking yields. Those who expand into ecosystem roles have the opportunity to significantly increase their overall returns.

Operational Framework

Each validator in Cohort 3 operates with:

• An initial delegation of 40,000 NEAR.
• Access to a 24/7 monitoring dashboard.
• Continuous technical support.
• Stable, production-grade infrastructure.
• A clear path to grow both stake and ecosystem impact.

This structure allows participants to focus on performance, learning, and contribution, while the underlying software and infrastructure handle operational complexity.

As a result, individuals without a technical background can become production-ready validators within a matter of weeks.

From Announcement to Execution

Many programs announce future validator onboarding or planned investments.

Node Studio Cohort 3 represents a different stage: execution.

• 60 validators are live in production.
• Support systems are actively operating.
• Performance evaluations are ongoing.
• 3,085,185 NEAR is already deployed and generating rewards.

This is not a projection. It is an operational reality.

What Comes Next

The program will run for 12 months, through April 1, 2027.

• Monthly performance evaluations will be conducted.
• Quarterly rewards will be distributed.
• Validators will have continuous opportunities to grow their stake and ecosystem presence.

Over this period, the program is expected to generate:

• Validators scaling their operations.
• New community leaders emerging.
• Tools and infrastructure shaped by real operator feedback.
• Educational content reaching broader audiences.

Why This Matters for NEAR

Decentralization is not defined by metrics alone. It is defined by participants.

It is reflected in 60 independent operators, across different regions and contexts, contributing to the validation of the network.

It strengthens resilience, improves security, and reinforces the distributed nature of NEAR.

With these 60 validators now live, NEAR becomes more decentralized in practice, not just in theory.

Node Studio Cohort 3 Is Now Live

Documentation:
https://docs.metapool.app/node-studio-program-3

60 New Validators Now Live on NEAR was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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Node Studio was built around a clear idea: to make running a validator node a product problem, not an infrastructure one.

As a software solution, Node Studio abstracts the technical complexity of operating validators: installation, configuration, deployment, and ongoing operations, and turns it into a guided, automated experience. This allows more individuals, communities, and organizations to participate in blockchain validation without becoming DevOps experts.

With Node Studio Cohort 3, this approach is strengthened through infrastructure partners that understand and align with this mission. That’s why we’re excited to announce our collaboration with Cherry Servers.

Why Cherry Servers

Cherry Servers provides exactly what Node Studio needs to operate at scale:

• Stable and reliable infrastructure from the first deployment.
• Well-balanced resources for validators running in production.
• Clear and predictable pricing.
• Support for automation and programmatic workflows.

This enables Node Studio participants to deploy real validator nodes, with appropriate specifications and minimal friction, from day one.

In a program where many validators are taking their first operational steps, that initial stability makes a meaningful difference.

How Cherry Servers fits into Node Studio

Node Studio acts as a software layer that abstracts the technical complexity of running validators: installation, configuration, deployment, and operations.

For this abstraction to work properly, it must rely on infrastructure that is reliable, flexible, and consistent.

Cherry Servers fulfills this role within the program, allowing Node Studio to deliver a smoother and more predictable experience for new validators, without sacrificing control or the ability to grow.

The result is a setup where:

• The software reduces complexity.
• The infrastructure performs as expected.
• And the validator can focus on operating, learning, and improving.

Infrastructure that grows with the validator

Unlike temporary or experimental setups, the nodes deployed through Node Studio are designed to operate in production and evolve over time.

Cherry Servers provides an environment that allows validators to:

• Start with appropriate configurations.
• Scale as their operations require.
• Maintain stability while learning and optimizing performance.

This kind of support is key to achieving the program’s goal: building sustainable validators, not just spinning up nodes.

A key partnership for Cohort 3

With Node Studio Cohort 3 underway, the collaboration with Cherry Servers becomes an important piece in continuing to lower barriers to entry, maintain operational quality, and support validators from different regions and contexts.

This partnership reinforces Node Studio’s core idea:

Making validation accessible without trivializing operations or compromising infrastructure.

Interested in Node Studio Cohort 3?

The applications are open and onboarding 60 new validators.

If you’re looking for a guided experience, reliable infrastructure, and an environment built for running real nodes, we invite you to apply.

Node Studio × Cherry Servers: Infrastructure that supports new validators was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re starting Q1 with a clear thesis: protocol growth isn’t measured by noise, it’s measured by real participation. More validators securing the network. More users staking for the first time. More distribution for our LSTs where demand actually exists. And more transparent communication about what we’re building, why we’re prioritizing it, and which milestones represent tangible progress.

This quarter, our roadmap is organized around three tracks, each directly tied to protocol growth, plus one key accelerant: faster, more coordinated execution to drive results.

Node Studio Cohort #3: 60 new validators to strengthen NEAR

If one priority defines Q1, it’s this: expanding NEAR’s validator set — sustainably.

Node Studio Cohort #3 is our program to onboard 60 new validators into the NEAR ecosystem. The goal goes beyond “adding nodes”: we want operators who stay, perform consistently, and actively contribute to ecosystem growth.

What this means for the protocol

• More validators = stronger resilience and security.
• More active operators = real decentralization.
• Performance-based incentives = higher operational standards and sustained contribution.

How it works

Node Studio #3 provides an initial bootstrap (delegation) to help each operator start with a solid base, plus an incentive layer that rewards what actually strengthens the protocol: consistent performance, delegation growth, and community engagement.

Key milestones

• February 2, 2026: official announcement + applications open
• Feb 15 — Mar 27, 2026: validator selection
• April 1, 2026: program starts (12 months)

For potential leads (operators)

If you already run infrastructure, or you’re ready to, this program is a direct path into NEAR with support, visibility, and a clear incentive framework. The goal is to form a cohort that’s competitive, active, and measurably impactful.

Coinstore: new distribution for mpSOL (stIP next)

Q1 also includes a concrete distribution expansion: Coinstore will integrate mpSOL into its Web3 wallet, making it easier for users to discover and stake directly through their ecosystem. This is a straightforward growth lever: put our LST in front of new demand, reduce friction, and measure impact through real participation.

What’s live / what’s next

• mpSOL integration: in progress and coming soon inside Coinstore’s Web3 experience.
• stIP integration: planned as the next step once mpSOL is live and stable.

Why it matters
More distribution only matters if it converts into real usage. This track will be evaluated the same way as the rest of the roadmap: by tangible outcomes, new stakers, sustained participation, and measurable adoption of our LSTs.

Zoo Finance: Liquid Vesting Token integration on top of Story’s LST

Beyond distribution, Q1 also includes a step toward deeper composability.

We’re moving forward with an integration with Zoo Finance (the team behind Wand) to introduce a Liquid Vesting Token built on top of Story’s LST. The core idea: enable users to unlock the expected value of their staking rewards ahead of time and deploy it in DeFi, without waiting for the standard accrual flow.

Why this matters

This isn’t a promise of instant TVL. It’s financial infrastructure: a component that increases utility, flexibility, and real use cases around our products.

Closing: Q1 is measurable growth, not narrative

This roadmap is designed so the community can track progress without interpretation. Each initiative has a concrete output tied to protocol growth:

• More validators on NEAR.
• More organic users and stake.
• More distribution for mpSOL in Solana.
• More utility and composability.

We’ll continue sharing confirmed milestones, progress, and dates as they solidify, so the community can evaluate Q1 with clarity: by what was delivered and the impact it creates.

Thank you for building with Meta Pool.

Q1 2026: Meta Pool’s Roadmap — more validators, more participation, more distribution was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A Joint Initiative Powered by Meta Pool

📘 What is Build Buddies?

Build Buddies is a community-driven initiative from Meta Pool, designed to empower ambassadors, allies, and Web3 enthusiasts to build local connections through in-person meetups. designed to activate local Web3 communities through accessible, in-person meetups.

Led by local partners, allies, or community organizations and supported by Meta Pool, the program aims to create shared spaces where people can learn, connect, and build together — all while introducing the values, tools, and benefits of decentralized finance and staking with Meta Pool.

This initiative represents a mutual opportunity:

• Meta Pool increases its presence and visibility in regional communities.
• Partners receive financial support and a structured methodology to host meaningful gatherings.
• Meta Pool is open to co-sponsorships — this is not an exclusive funding model. If the partner wants to bring in other supporters or sponsors, they are welcome to do so.

Objective

The main objective is to create casual, welcoming spaces where participants can:

• Network and share ideas
• Discuss staking, DeFi, and Web3
• Learn about Meta Pool and the broader ecosystem.

🧩 How It Works

• Events must be in-person and hosted in a friendly, open space that promotes conversation and community-building (cafés, co-working spaces, community centers, etc.).
• There is no strict agenda: Build Buddies are meant to be open and informal gatherings, where participants can network, discuss Web3 topics, share ideas, and get to know each other.
• Each event should include a short segment to present Meta Pool — including its platform, staking tools, benefits, and current campaigns — along with any interactive activity that engages participants.
• Event outcomes (photos, short video, recap) must be published on Twitter and tagged appropriately for visibility and tracking.
• Partners are required to use tools Luma to manage attendees and logistics.

📆 Build Buddies — Frequency

All organizations or individuals interested in hosting Build Buddies must commit to a minimum of 2 events per month per city.

Trial Phase (First Month)

• There is no maximum number of events during the trial phase.
• The expectation is that organizers run at least 2 Build Buddies events per month per city.
• During this period, the Meta Pool team will review the results of the first events, focusing on:
• Attendance,
• Organization quality,
• Community engagement, and
• Overall execution.
• Feedback will be shared to identify areas for improvement and ensure readiness for scaling.

After Evaluation

Once the trial phase is successfully completed and requirements are met (with Meta Pool team approval):

• Second month onward:
• Up to 1 event per week per city.
• From the third month onward (advanced partners):
• Organizations with strong execution capacity and consistent results may host multiple events per week, subject to coordination with the Meta Pool team.

This flexible model is designed to scale responsibly, based on local capacity, demand, and sustained quality.

👥 Attendance Goals

Expected Attendance

• Trial & ongoing phase:
• An average of at least 10 attendees is expected per event.
• As the program matures, the objective is to grow attendance progressively while maintaining meaningful engagement.

Joint Events

For events organized by more than one representative or organization:

• Attendance goals scale proportionally based on the number of organizers:
• 2 organizers: minimum 20 attendees
• 3 organizers: minimum 30 attendees

In large cities, partners with multiple organizers are encouraged to:

• Cover different areas on different days,
• Expand community reach, and
• Avoid overlapping audiences.

Ambassador-Specific Note

⚠️ For Meta Pool Ambassadors, Build Buddies attendance:

• Counts toward official ambassador performance metrics, and
• Qualifies for additional ambassador compensation, in addition to any approved logistical support.

💰 Financial Support from Meta Pool

Meta Pool offers sponsorship support for each Build Buddy event, structured in two components:

1. Event Expense Reimbursement

• Up to $50 USD per organizer per event (for an average of 10 attendees).
• Covers basic refreshments (coffee, snacks) to create a welcoming space.
• Official venue receipts or tickets must be submitted via the reimbursement form.
• If multiple organizers participate, the amount is cumulative (e.g., 2 organizers = up to $100 USD).
• Requests for larger budgets may be considered with prior approval.

This is not intended as a full event budget, but rather as logistical support to keep meetups authentic, community-focused, and sustainable.

2. Partnership-Based Compensation

• For formal partners or organizations, Meta Pool is open to negotiating compensation or service agreements, depending on the scope and impact of the collaboration.
• For ambassadors, Build Buddies are considered part of their program responsibilities and do not receive additional compensation beyond their regular rewards.

🌟 Why Partner with Meta Pool?

• Strengthen your community’s exposure to real Web3 tools like liquid staking.
• Receive financial and strategic support to host high-quality local events.
• Collaborate with one of the leading multi-chain staking platforms, educators, and creators,

✅ How to Get Approved to Host Build Buddies

To ensure the quality and impact of each Build Buddies event, there are a few simple steps required to become an official host:

1. Get in touch with the Meta Pool team in one of these options

• Reach out through the official communication channels to express your interest in hosting Build Buddies in your region.
• Telegram: Reaching out to @alan_network or @alansicairos to start the process.
• Discord: Open a ticket so the team can channel the petition to the pertinent team.

2. Share your plan

• Provide details about how you intend to carry out the event, including:
• Proposed location and venue
• Tentative dates
• Expected number of attendees
• General idea of how the budget will be used (e.g., snacks, drinks, space rental, etc.)

3. Get official approval

• Once your plan is reviewed, the Meta Pool team will give you a go-ahead if the proposal meets the program’s standards and alignment.

4. Meet the goals to receive reimbursement

• In order to qualify for the financial support, hosts must meet the minimum attendance requirements and submit valid documentation (event recap + receipt).
• Reimbursements are only issued when the event’s objectives are fulfilled.

🚀 Ready to Co-Host Build Buddies in Your Region?

Whether you’re an established Web3 community, a student blockchain club, a DAO, or an independent organizer, we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s join forces to build community from the ground up, one meetup at a time.

Reach out to the Meta Pool team and start planning your first Build Buddy today.

📩 Contact: francisco@metapool.app, angelalan@metapool.app

We keep building. Together.

Build Buddies — Fostering Local Web3 Communities was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We are pleased to announce the start of execution of the Dappnode Program, a joint initiative between our Protocol and Dappnode designed to strengthen the decentralization, security, and scalability of the NEAR Protocol network.

This program, known as the Dappnode Program, marks a new milestone in the expansion of NEAR’s validator ecosystem.

What Is this Program?

The Dappnode Program aims to foster a more robust, diverse, and sustainable validator network by supporting operators committed to high technical standards and active ecosystem participation.

This Program specifically focuses on operators running on Dappnode infrastructure, combining specialized hardware, continuous technical support, and an incentive framework aligned with real on-chain performance.

What Is Dappnode and Why Is It Key to This Program?

Dappnode is a plug-and-play decentralized infrastructure platform that enables anyone to run blockchain nodes and Web3 services in a sovereign, simple, and secure manner — without relying on centralized providers.

Through its dedicated hardware and self-managed package system, Dappnode removes much of the traditional technical complexity associated with node operations, enabling operators to:

• Run non-custodial nodes and validators
• Receive automatic software updates
• Maintain high levels of stability and uptime
• Lower the barrier to entry for independent and professional operators

In this Program, Dappnode acts as a strategic infrastructure partner, ensuring that participating validators operate on a reliable technical foundation aligned with NEAR’s decentralization principles.

Key Program Objectives

Throughout this program, the focus is on:

• Expanding the NEAR validator network by onboarding 25 new validators running on Dappnode hardware
• Empowering node operators with tools, technical guidance, and a clear incentive framework to ensure long-term sustainability
• Promoting Dappnode adoption by demonstrating its effectiveness as an end-to-end solution for operating NEAR validators
• Driving NEAR ecosystem growth through governance participation, content creation, and community-led events

How Does the Program Work?

Selected validators receive NEAR delegation for a one-year period, along with the opportunity to participate in the Node Commitment Bounty (NCB) a performance based incentive system that rewards:

• Validator financial growth (additional staking)
• Node uptime and technical reliability
• Ecosystem contributions, including marketing, education, and community engagement
• Dappnode-specific contributions, such as tutorials, webinars, and joint campaigns

This model ensures that rewards are aligned with real, measurable, and sustainable impact.

Meta Pool × Dappnode Collaboration

The execution of the program is the result of close collaboration between our Protocol and Dappnode:

• Dappnode leads operator curation, ongoing technical support, and maintenance of the NEAR package within its infrastructure
• Meanwhile, we provide delegation and program incentives, while also participating in technical oversight and validator performance evaluation

Both organizations work in close coordination to ensure operational stability, transparency, and meaningful decentralization.

Operations Start

Start date for the Node Commitment Bounty system activities:
December 18, 2025

From this date onward, program validators will begin marketing and community activities as part of the program’s internal competition, while continuing to contribute directly to the security and resilience of the NEAR network.

Looking Ahead

The launch of Dappnode Program represents a decisive step toward a more professional, distributed, and accessible validator infrastructure, fully aligned with the core values of Web3.

We invite the community to closely follow the program’s progress and actively engage with the initiatives led by participating operators.

We keep building. Together.

From Infrastructure to Impact: Dappnode Program Goes Live was originally published in Meta Pool on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.