Polkadot Sets 2.1 Billion Token Cap for DOT

Polkadot DAO approves 2.1 billion DOT cap, altering unlimited issuance model.

The Polkadot decentralised autonomous organisation has approved a hard cap on the project’s token issuance, limiting it to 2.1 billion DOT.

🚨 DOT supply → capped at 2.1 Billion 🚨

The Polkadot DAO has signaled support for a hard cap, by passing Referendum 1710 on the “Wish For Change” track, with 81% in favor.

Today ⤵️

→ 1.6 Billion DOT exist
→ 120M DOT/year minted each year
→ No supply cap

What Ref. 1710… pic.twitter.com/OJMtDumAZC

— Polkadot (@Polkadot) September 14, 2025

The referendum, titled “Wish For Change,” garnered 81% support.

This proposal alters the existing model of unlimited token issuance, which saw 120 million DOT minted annually. Currently, 1.52 billion coins are in circulation.

The new configuration plans to reduce inflation every two years on March 14th — Pi Day.

Under the old tokenomics track, DOT supply could have reached 3.4 billion by 2040. The approved model projects it will be around 1.91 billion. Emission is expected to cease entirely around the year 2160.

gm — there will only ever be 2.1B DOT pic.twitter.com/6ZKa5elo38

— Polkadot (@Polkadot) September 15, 2025

“Scarcity, predictability, long-term positioning,” commented the project.

Following the cap on future market supply, DOT prices fell by approximately 5%. The asset is trading at $4.2, more than 92% below its all-time high of ~$55 recorded in November 2021.

DOT’s market capitalisation stands at approximately $6.4 billion.

Chasing Competitors

Since the start of the year, Polkadot’s token has lost about 40% of its value, while competitors like Solana and Ethereum have shown impressive growth. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap even reached a new ATH in August.

DOT’s poor performance has concerned the community and investors, prompting several proposals to strengthen the asset’s position. One such proposal suggested purchasing around $2 million worth of the “wrapped version” of Bitcoin, tBTC, to form a reserve aimed at providing additional income and creating new opportunities for DeFi on Polkadot.

“The devaluation of DOT is recognised by the community, we should sell tokens and buy BTC. I fully agree with this proposal,” commented one user.

However, developers deemed the initiative technically unfeasible, as the blockchain platform lacks a direct bridge to the Bitcoin network.

In August, Gavin Wood, co-founder of the project, returned as CEO of Parity, the company behind Polkadot’s development.

“The architectural foundation is laid, and the market is ready. Combining the concept with day-to-day execution at the CEO level will allow us to move faster and accelerate the next phase of growth,” he stated at the time.

That same month, the team announced the creation of Polkadot Capital Group. This division targets traditional capital markets and aims to stimulate institutional demand for DOT.

Among the 92 applications for launching cryptocurrency ETFs under review by the SEC, there are proposals for products based on the Polkadot token.