The Casper community drives the network’s strategy and long-term direction. Through open discussion and stakeholder-weighted decision-making, validators and delegators shape how Casper evolves in practice.
Vote #008 was open from February 23 to February 25. It passed with 70.90% participation and 89.3% of quorum voting in favor (here). With that outcome, Casper aligns its next phase with a clearer focus on market integration, liquidity infrastructure, and long-term economic sustainability.
In practical terms, the network approved a one-time 33% issuance, an update to the existing 8% base inflation structure, and new community governance structures.
This article explains why the proposal was introduced and how the mechanics work.
Over the past year, the Casper Association and the broader ecosystem delivered a steady stream of milestones. Casper 2.0 and Casper 2.1 went live on Mainnet, bringing core upgrades into production and activating capabilities such as instant finality, improved blockspeed, and fee-burning. Governance moved into active use, with eight on-chain votes already completed.
The DeFi layer expanded in parallel. CSPR.trade launched, Liquid Staking went live, and the new EVM bridge entered audit. The CSPR product suite grew, making onboarding smoother for users and building a more straightforward experience for developers.
Importantly, this progress did not come with higher overhead. During the same period, the Casper Association reduced operating costs by 80% while accelerating development pace and delivery.
As a result, Casper Network reached a stage where its core protocol capabilities were in place for real-world adoption. The priority moved from building and enhancing foundational infrastructure to expanding access to it. Market integrations and liquidity pathways became the next steps toward wider adoption.
And this requires a different approach. To grow further, Casper requires resources dedicated to:
Vote #008 introduces a growth-focused tokenomics framework to fund this next phase of expansion.
Vote #008 introduces two structural changes.
First, a one-time 33% recapitalization issuance, which does not alter base annual inflation but recapitalizes the network to fund multi-year market and ecosystem initiatives. The majority of the recapitalized supply will be locked and staked, with a defined unlock schedule over two years, aligning the Casper Association’s treasury with network security, providing the stability needed during the integration phase.
Second, a reallocation within the existing 8% annual emission schedule. The new allocation splits emissions into:
The framework preserves validator and delegator incentives while directing a small portion of emissions toward coordinated ecosystem development, aligning network issuance with adoption and long-term network value.
As Casper enters this next phase, decentralized governance continues to serve as the framework for major decisions and long-term direction. Expansion efforts will move forward within that structure.
Working groups and collaborative forums will support this process, creating dedicated spaces where validators, builders, and ecosystem participants can exchange perspectives and provide input on implementation.
The Casper Association will regularly share financial reports through an authenticated portal. These reports will outline expenditures by category and provide visibility into how recapitalized funds are being deployed.
All outlined initiatives will move forward through this shared process.
What did Vote #008 approve?
Vote #008 approved a one-time 33% recapitalization issuance and a reallocation of annual emissions within the existing 8% base inflation schedule.
Does this change recurring inflation?
No. Base inflation remains 8% annually. The 33% issuance is a one-time recapitalization.
Why was recapitalization chosen?
The proposal focuses on funding exchange integrations, stablecoin integrations, interoperability work, liquidity provisioning, and related ecosystem development.
Why not reduce inflation instead?
Reducing inflation alters emissions flow but does not provide funding for exchange integrations, stablecoin partnerships, interoperability work, or liquidity provisioning.
What changes for validators?
Validator selection and reward mechanics remain unchanged. Annual emissions allocated to validators and delegators move from 8% to 6%, while the remaining 2% is redirected toward ecosystem development and market infrastructure. The rationale is that long-term network health and stronger market structure matter more to validator and delegator economics than maintaining a higher nominal emission rate in uncoordinated isolation.
