Lido Crypto has launched its Core 2026 protocol upgrade, introducing native 0x02 validator support to its largest staking module and restructuring node operator economics around ETH-backed bonds. This consolidation will reduce the number of Ethereum validators from approximately 880,000 to 628,000, a 29% reduction in attestation messages per epoch. The share of ETH secured by compounding validators will rise from 32.06% to 52.21%. The upgrade, representing the largest single deployment of the new validator architecture on the network, rolls out in two phases, with Phase 1 now live and Phase 2 in development.
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