Polkadot is set to vote on Referendum 1890, which proposes a significant change to its staking model by requiring validators to self-stake at least 10,000 DOT. This move aims to shift economic risk from nominators to validators, who currently rely on nominator capital. The change is part of a broader strategy to enhance network security and efficiency. The referendum is a prerequisite for two additional staking upgrades: making nominators unslashable and reducing the unbonding period from 28 days to 24-48 hours. These changes are designed to protect nominators' principal while still allowing them to earn rewards, and to improve liquidity by shortening the unbonding period. Polkadot's DOT is currently trading at $1.25, recovering from a recent exploit, with the network ranked seventh in staking market capitalization.