Kaia sets November dates for mandatory KAIA staking migration

The migration applies to KAIA deposited through Public Delegation. Users will connect a wallet to Kaia Portal, where a dedicated menu will show their staking positions and migration status, then request withdrawal and redeposit into the replacement contract run by the same Governance Council to which they currently delegate. Withdrawals and redeposits are scheduled to begin on November 26; individual withdrawal dates will depend on when requests are submitted. Kaia plans to publish a migration guide on November 13.

Kaia said eligible participants in its Contribution Rewards (CR Mission) program can retain recognition of their existing staking balances if they complete the migration within the specified period. The program will use balances recorded at block 232,552,000, expected around November 16, and maintain that recognition until block 235,526,400, expected around December 20. Tokens left in the old contract after the final reference block will no longer qualify. The network cautioned users against unstaking before the initial snapshot, and said withdrawals of USDT or JPYC deposits could affect eligible KAIA balances because recognized staking contributions are capped at ten times the value of deposited stablecoins. Under the new system, stakers will receive pdKAIA tokens, but only those held directly in their wallets will count for CR Mission recognition.

The move is part of Kaia’s plan to replace its permissioned validator structure. Operators will be able to register through Kaia Square without the previous manual approval if they meet a minimum stake of 5 million KAIA and other technical conditions. The design sets a maximum pool of 100 candidates, with the 50 highest-staked eligible operators participating in consensus and receiving validator rewards. Kaia said performance will be assessed using measures including network availability and consensus participation; operators that consistently underperform may be removed from the active set.

Kaia warned users to follow official channels, saying the foundation will not initiate direct messages or ask for wallet recovery phrases or private keys.