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Platform

How DOT works and how decisions get made.

  • Hard cap

    2.1B

    DOT maximum supply

  • Staked

    908M

    DOT securing the platform

  • Staking rate

    53%

    DOT supply staked

Economics

At the center of the Polkadot platform is the DOT token. This is Polkadot's native currency and represents value across Polkadot. Unlike regular currency, DOT is Internet-native and permissionless: it is designed so as nobody, not even the most powerful, can intermediate, seize or freeze it. We use DOT rather than other cryptocurrencies in order to keep Polkadot's economic machinery as secure as possible.

Supply schedule

New DOT is issued as rewards to those who help secure the platform. Starting March 2026, issuance steps down every two years until the cap is reached.

Yearly issuance in DOT Total supply in DOT
  • 60M
  • 40M
  • 20M
  • 0M
  • 2.1 B
  • 2.0 B
  • 1.9 B
  • 1.8 B
  • 1.7 B
  • 2026
  • 2030
  • 2034
  • 2038
  • 2042
  • 2046
  • 2050

What DOT does

  • dotUSD

    DOT is locked to mint dotUSD, the native stablecoin for Polkadot Products.

  • Staking

    DOT holders lock tokens to secure the platform and earn rewards, reducing circulating supply.

  • Governance

    Voting on proposals requires locking DOT, removing it from circulation.

  • Coretime

    As more apps and services run on the platform, demand for DOT-purchased compute grows.

  • Fees

    You can pay fees in any asset on Polkadot, but DOT is always used under the hood.

OpenGov

OpenGov referenda on SubSquare: confirming, deciding, preparing and active counts above the list of referenda.

Participate

If you hold DOT, you already have a seat at the table.

View Governance

  • Referendain the last 12 months

    189

  • Average DOT per referendum+235% YoY

    52M

  • Direct participation

    Anyone can submit a proposal. Anyone can vote. Voting power scales with how much you hold and how long you commit to holding it. Lock your tokens longer to amplify your voice.

  • Distributed control

    The protocol evolves through collective agreement. For example, Referendum 1710 introduced a hard cap on DOT supply. It passed with 81% support from token holders.

  • Treasury

    Community-controlled funding. Teams request funding through proposals. If the community votes yes, the treasury pays out automatically.

Network data from data.parity.io · September 2026