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A new Solana governance proposal wants to double the speed at which the network’s inflation rate declines, a move that would eliminate roughly $1.5 billion in future SOL token emissions at current prices. SIMD-0550, submitted by Helius engineer lostintime101, has already picked up public backing from Solana Labs co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.
The core mechanic is straightforward. Solana’s inflation schedule currently decreases by 15% each year, gradually working its way toward a long-term terminal rate of 1.5%. SIMD-0550 would crank that annual decline to 30%, keeping the starting rate at 8% but reaching the finish line in roughly 2.8 years instead of 5.7.
What the proposal actually changes
Solana’s current inflation model was designed with a built-in decay curve. Each year, the rate at which new SOL enters circulation drops by 15%, slowly tapering from a high initial rate down to the 1.5% floor.
SIMD-0550 doesn’t touch the starting point or the destination. It only changes the speed of the journey. By doubling the annual disinflation rate from 15% to 30%, the proposal compresses the timeline dramatically.
The estimated $1.5 billion in reduced emissions is calculated at current market prices, which means the actual dollar figure would fluctuate with SOL’s price.
This isn’t the first time the Solana community has tried to tinker with the inflation schedule. A previous proposal called SIMD-0228 attempted similar modifications back in March 2025 and was rejected. SIMD-0550 builds on subsequent iterations, including SIMD-0411 and SIMD-0441, both of which explored disinflation adjustments.
The validator problem nobody wants to ignore
Validators, the entities that process transactions and secure the Solana network, currently earn a meaningful portion of their revenue from inflationary rewards. New SOL gets created and distributed to validators (and by extension, to the stakers who delegate to them) as compensation for keeping the network running. Cut the inflation rate faster, and that revenue stream shrinks faster too.
SOL holders benefit from reduced dilution, as their existing tokens represent a larger share of the total supply over time. But validators need to keep the lights on, and if staking rewards drop below the cost of operating infrastructure, some may exit the validator set entirely.
Another active proposal, SIMD-0547, aims to increase SOL token burns through enhanced resource-based fees, which would further shift the economic model away from inflation-funded security.
What this means for investors
SIMD-0228’s rejection in 2025 showed that inflation modifications are politically contentious within the community. Validators who stand to lose income have every incentive to oppose changes, while large token holders who benefit from reduced dilution have every incentive to push them through.
The proposal is currently in initial discussions on GitHub, which means it’s still early in the governance pipeline.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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