Canton Approves CIP-0105: Super Validators Must Lock Up to 70% of Lifetime Rewards to Keep Full Weight
Super Validators that lock less earn proportionally reduced weight, unlocks vest over 365 days, and the framework applies to every operator, including Digital Asset and the Foundation.
The Canton Foundation approved CIP-0105, the "Super Validator (SV) Locking and Long-Term Commitment Framework", on 2 March 2026. It links each Super Validator's future reward weight to how much of the Canton Coin (CC) it has earned over its lifetime it keeps locked.
The CIP was published as a draft on 26 February, proposed on 27 February and approved on 2 March. It is credited to Eric Saraniecki with a community proposal.
The schedule
SV weight now depends on the share of an SV's aggregate lifetime SV rewards, including rewards earned before the CIP, that is actively locked:
- Tier 1, full weight: 70% locked at the start, falling to 65% after one year, 60% after two and 55% after three.
- Tier 2, 60% of weight: 45% locked at the start, 50% after one year, then the tier is removed.
- Tier 3, 40% of weight: 35% locked at the start, then the tier is removed.
The CIP's own example: an SV with weight 10 that locks 70% earns full weight; the same SV locking 45% earns rewards for weight 6. The requirement is set to end 30 days after the next step down in rewards, which the CIP says is forecast for late summer 2029.
How unlocks and penalties work
- Slow exits. An SV can start an unlock at any time, but only 1/365.25 of the amount vests each day, and only the fully locked part counts toward weight.
- Seven days, then thirty. If an SV falls below its tier, the under-locked part of its weight leaves the active pool within 7 days. If it does not re-lock within 30 days, that weight is removed permanently.
- Flexible custody. CC can be locked across self-custody wallets, institutional custodians and several PartyIds, as long as the total meets the threshold.
- No exemptions. The rules apply to all SVs, including the Foundation and ecosystem funds. Organisations with several SVs, the CIP names Digital Asset and Cumberland, are assessed on their combined earnings.
Rollout
Phase 1 begins within 30 days of approval: SVs disclose segregated PartyIds holding locked CC to the Foundation, and weights are checked weekly. Phase 2 starts once CC locking contracts are deployed on MainNet, after which only on-chain locks count and vesting is enforced automatically.
The rationale
The CIP says reputation alone is no longer enough as Canton becomes more visible to outside markets, and that locking makes SVs' long-term commitment publicly verifiable. Participation is voluntary, but SVs that do not lock earn less weight or none.
Why it matters
