NEAR Protocol weighs proposal to cut token issuance to 1.6% over two years

NEAR Protocol is weighing another trim to its token printing press. A governance proposal now on the table would lower the network’s maximum annual issuance rate from 2.5% to 1.6%, phased in over 24 months. If approved, the change could keep approximately 66 million NEAR out of circulation. At current prices, that is about $329 million worth of tokens that would never hit the market. What the proposal actually does The plan comes from Sal Ternullo, CEO of SVRN. Instead of flipping a switch overnight, the issuance rate would step down in small increments every epoch. Under the 2.5% rate, the network adds roughly 89,500 new NEAR tokens daily. The proposal keeps the existing distribution of that new supply intact. Stakers would continue to receive 90% of issuance, while the remaining 10% would flow to the treasury. There is also a 90-day grace period built in. That window is meant to give wallets, staking providers, and other ecosystem players time to adjust before the changes start biting. The design includes guardrails too. Governance could pause the reduction mid-schedule, but it could not reverse course and push issuance back up. The staking yield trade-off Less inflation sounds g...