Every transaction on Enjin Blockchain — every mint, every transfer, every trade — is secured by a set of 25 validators that has anchored the network since launch in 2023. Three years, over a thousand eras, and hundreds of millions of staked ENJ later, that number is about to grow.
A referendum is now open on Enjin governance to expand the active validator set from 25 to 35 over the next twelve months. It's the first step toward the decentralized network the Enjin whitepaper envisions: 25 to 35 now, a reviewed continuation to 50 after, and beyond that, the network decides.
Twenty-five validators was the right number to launch with: small enough to guarantee performance while the network proved itself, large enough to be meaningfully decentralized. Today, demand has outgrown the set: more validators are registered and waiting than there are slots, and experienced operators are waiting for room.
A larger set means more operators, more geographic and provider diversity, and less reliance on any single party: a network that is harder to disrupt and easier to trust.
The expansion happens in four stages:
All four stages are enacted by this one referendum, pre-scheduled on-chain 90 days apart, and any future stage can be cancelled by a further vote if the network needs to pause.
The referendum is live now. If you hold ENJ, this decision is yours: review the full proposal and cast your vote.
If you use Enjin: nothing changes in how you mint, transfer, or trade, and no action is required. The change is in the infrastructure beneath: a broader set of independent validators confirming every block, so the network never depends on any one operator.
If you operate validators: ten new slots open over the coming year, filled by the network's standard era election under the same rules that apply to every validator today. Enjin will monitor the expansion closely and assist operators where needed to keep the network stable and performant. The bar is set by the election itself: slots go to operators who earn nominations, and that takes professional infrastructure, an on-chain identity, a track record of reliable operation, and the 15,000 ENJ minimum self-bond. There are no supplemental incentives; validator economics run on standard network rewards.
Operators who would like to discuss ecosystem support on their path into the active set can reach out here.
Validator rewards on Enjin come from a fixed annual inflation of roughly 4.9%, with 96% flowing to stakers, split across the active set era by era. That pool doesn't grow when the set does: at today's 25 validators, the standard 5% commission earns a validator roughly 15,700 ENJ per month; at 35, roughly 11,200 ENJ, about 29% less. That's the expected arc of a maturing network: rewards are concentrated among a few operators early on, and spread across more independent shoulders as the set widens.
The total paid to stakers each era doesn't change: same reward pool, same staked supply. How that lands for an individual pool depends, as it always has, on how the validators it backs perform. Any expansion beyond 35 would be a separate proposal, made only if validator economics remain healthy at each stage.
The referendum, GP-2026-08-03-01: Expansion of the Enjin Relaychain Active Validator Set from 25 to 35, is open:
You'll receive:
