Overview
- Research posted on the Ethereum Research Forum on Monday, June 22, 2026 proposed a mechanism that would let validators signal a redirect rate between 0% and 10% of their staking rewards.
- Under the design validators would also name preferred recipients and a smart‑contract “splitter” would aggregate those preferences using a Condorcet-style method and distribute the pooled funds.
- At current staking levels the community estimates validators earn about 700,000 ETH a year, so a 5%–10% redirect could free up roughly 50,000–70,000 ETH annually, about $120 million at recent prices.
- Critics say the plan could enable cartelization if a majority coalition of large validators sets rates and recipients, and they warn that operators not ETH owners could decide funding while delegators lose yield.
- The idea remains at the research stage with no EIP, no client changes, and no activation timetable, and participants are discussing alternatives such as cutting issuance or using fee burns to fund public goods.