Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you to everyone who took the time to read, question, criticise, and support this RFC over the past month. It has been one of the most thoughtful and intense discussions we have had in a while, and that alone says a lot about how much you still care about Astar and ASTR.
With this post, I want to do three things:
- Reflect on what we heard from you.
- Explain how that feedback shaped the path toward Evolution Phase 2.
- Focus on what comes next with the Burndrop PoC and how it will give everyone a chance to experiment before any real Burndrop event goes live.
- Provide answers to some of the questions we received from the community.
1. What we heard from you
Across all messages, there were a few strong and recurring themes:
- Many of you feel it is not possible to fully judge the Burndrop idea without knowing more about the future token or tokens.
- You want to be sure that ASTR remains central and relevant in the long term, not slowly sidelined by another asset.
- You raised important concerns about fairness, value migration, liquidity and the risk of whales dominating.
- You requested a simple, transparent mechanism with a clear dashboard that allows everyone to verify what is happening onchain.
- Several of you shared broader questions about Astar’s long-term direction and how ASTR fits within the wider Astar and Soneium ecosystems.
One point came through very strongly. Burning is not a casual action. It touches assets that some of you have held since the Lockdrop days. Any Burndrop must respect that level of conviction and not rush people into irreversible decisions.
This RFC did exactly what it was supposed to do. It surfaced concerns early, before anything is finalized. Your feedback has directly influenced how we structure the road ahead.
2. The road to Astar Evolution Phase 2
Rather than keeping this discussion abstract, we translated it into a concrete public roadmap that was published on Astar’s blog.
In short, the road to Astar Evolution Phase 2 is built around three aligned pillars:
- The Burndrop PoC, giving the community a first look at how scarcity and conviction come to life onchain.
- Tokenomics 3.0, moving ASTR toward a fixed supply and a more predictable long term economic model.
- A stronger user and ecosystem experience through the Startale App, Plaza integration on Polkadot and a more distributed governance structure.
These pieces are designed to work together. Burndrop is not an isolated event. It is part of a wider plan where ASTR becomes scarcer, easier to use and better positioned for long term contributors and institutional alignment.
You can see these themes reflected in the recent roadmap article. This RFC played an important part in shaping that direction.
3. Burndrop PoC: an experiment before the real thing
The clearest request from this thread was simple. Do not ask anyone to burn before they can see and test the mechanism in practice and understand what they might receive.
This is exactly why we decided to launch a Burndrop Proof of Concept first.
What is the Burndrop PoC
Planned for December 2025, the Burndrop PoC is a small-scale, fully onchain experiment designed to let the Astar community:
- Deposit and lock a fixed amount of ASTR for a defined period.
- Experience the full deposit, wait, and burn lifecycle.
- Receive an onchain reward for burning ASTR, serving as verifiable proof of your participation in the Burndrop PoC. This reward is not a financial token or tradeable asset, but a symbolic participation marker that will give you an advantage during the real Burndrop event.
- See a live dashboard showing deposits, burns and participation in real time.
There are three key ideas behind this PoC.
First, it is about learning. The PoC is a chance for everyone to try the mechanism in a low-risk setting. Users, developers, partners and the Foundation can all observe how it feels in practice and adjust the final Burndrop design based on real feedback, not only theory.
Second, it is about transparency. The PoC will showcase how the contracts work, how ASTR moves, how burning is handled, and how everything appears onchain. A public dashboard will give a shared view of what is happening at every step.
Third, it is about recognition. The onchain reward you receive in the PoC is a symbolic but meaningful marker of your participation in preparing the real Burndrop event. It does not hold market value, but it will provide an advantage when the full Burndrop goes live. In other words, those who help test and shape the mechanism early will be acknowledged for that contribution later.
The PoC is not a hidden Burndrop in disguise. It is a visible rehearsal so that when the real event comes, the community knows what to expect and has already had a chance to influence the design.
4. Astar Evolution Phase 2 and the real Burndrop
Looking beyond the PoC, the full Burndrop event and Evolution Phase 2 are where the larger story becomes visible.
At a high level:
- The real Burndrop event is planned for 2026, subject to market conditions, coordination and governance.
- It will let ASTR holders voluntarily burn tokens in return for future token or tokens connected to the Startale ecosystem.
- The structure will be informed by everything raised in this RFC, including pro rata logic, possible caps or thresholds, vesting and fairness conditions that are clearly documented ahead of time.
- Full details about the token or tokens, their utility and allocation will only be shared once public announcements and legal constraints allow. No one will be asked to burn before this information is available and discussed.
In parallel, Astar Evolution Phase 2 is about more than one event.
It is about positioning Astar as a purpose-driven collective that serves as part of Japan’s onchain layer. It is about moving from a single core contributor to a network of participants, institutions, enterprises, and independent builders. It is about giving ASTR a fixed supply and clearer demand drivers across Astar, Soneium and the broader ecosystems we connect to.
Burndrop sits at the intersection of these pieces. It helps realign value and scarcity around ASTR, while opening a path for those who want exposure to new tokens connected to the Startale ecosystem. At the same time, those who prefer to stay fully in ASTR benefit from a leaner circulating supply as others choose to burn.
More details about the exact Burndrop mechanics, the governance process around it and the wider Evolution Phase 2 initiatives will come in dedicated threads and proposals. This RFC is the starting point, not the conclusion.
5. Answers to common questions raised after the roadmap publication
Before closing this RFC, I also want to address several questions that appeared after the roadmap article about Astar Evolution Phase 2. These points will have dedicated threads later, but here is the current clarity we can provide.
Burndrop and Burndrop PoC
Will the two Burndrops be executed before Tokenomics 3.0 is fixed?
The Burndrop PoC will happen first because it is an experiment. It will run in parallel with our intention to roll out Tokenomics 3.0 on Astar Network. This requires governance approval, but our aim is to activate it by the end of the year or early next year, depending on community support.
The main Burndrop will only take place once Tokenomics 3.0 is finalised on mainnet. Tokenomics 3.0 is one of the key pillars we want active before the event.
Will the maximum supply of ASTR change based on how much is burned?
Yes. Tokenomics 3.0 introduces a maximum supply estimate of about 10.5B based on current economic parameters.
However, if a large amount of ASTR is burned through Burndrop, the final maximum supply naturally becomes lower. For example, if 2B ASTR are burned, the cap adjusts to about 8.5B.
Will future tokens from the Startale ecosystem be distributed after the PoC or the main event?
Only after the main Burndrop.
The PoC does not distribute tokens or any financial reward. It issues an onchain participation marker only.
When will participants receive details about the future tokens?
Once public announcements allow it and legal constraints are cleared.
No burning will be requested before all details are shared and reviewed by the community.
Will there be only two Burndrops?
The PoC is a one-time experiment scheduled for the end of this year.
The main Burndrop is planned as a one-time event in the first half of 2026, which may be executed over several short phases pending final design. Internally, we have not decided whether Burndrop should become a recurring mechanism. This is open to future community discussion.
Can the treasury participate in the Burndrop?
No. The onchain treasury and community treasury will not participate.
Regarding the Astar Financial Committee, participation would need to be discussed with them directly and would depend on their mandate.
Does the team have a target percentage of ASTR to be burned?
No fixed target. The mechanism is voluntary and market driven.
The outcome depends on community conviction and expected returns, not quotas. We aim to design the framework in a way that makes burning as attractive as possible.
What is the worst scenario and how is it prevented?
The only real risk is a lack of confidence or unclear information.
This is exactly why we began with an RFC, followed by a PoC, a public roadmap, and a commitment to publish all token details before the main event.
Everything is designed around clarity, fairness, and opt-in participation.
Tokenomics 3.0
How far is Tokenomics 3.0 as of November 2025?
The technical implementation is complete.
Shibuya testing is already live and we will share an update on the dedicated forum thread. Results so far are positive and we are moving into the next phase of the plan.
The governance proposal for activation on Astar mainnet is targeted for late 2025 or early 2026 depending on community support.
Startale App
What is the main difference between the Startale App and the Astar Portal?
The Startale App becomes the unified entry point for Astar and Soneium. It includes wallet creation, identity, activity and ecosystem participation.
The Astar Portal focuses on Astar specific tools such as dApp Staking, transfers and bridging.
The App replaces fragmentation with a single experience across both ecosystems. We are exploring Portal integration so Startale App can be supported as a wallet option.
Do users need a browser extension or a mobile app?
The Startale App supports any EVM wallet. It is not a dedicated extension.
Users can connect their existing EVM wallets to manage funds on Soneium and, in the future, Astar Network.
AA users can onboard without extensions through smart account flows, including social logins and Passkey.
Who pays gas when creating a wallet with AA?
During onboarding, gas for wallet creation is sponsored by the App so users can begin without friction.
Gas sponsorship can be covered by Startale Group or additional ecosystem partners.
Can the wallet used for Soneium Score be used inside the Startale App?
Yes. Any existing wallet, including one used for the Score, can be connected and managed inside the App.
Interoperability and Plaza
Are there already parachains that can use this interoperability?
Yes. Once Plaza is live, any parachain connected to Polkadot can communicate with Asset Hub through XCM, and EVM compatible tooling can integrate.
Several teams are already in early discussions and we will share updates as Astar’s integrations are confirmed.
Astar Community Program and Governance
Will the Governance Program be different from the AFC?
Yes.
The AFC is a governance committee focused on Astar financial matters and the DAO treasury. It has six members and a strict mandate.
The Governance Program is aimed at the broader community, focusing on education, proposal participation and treasury decision making.
Both programs complement each other and form the foundation of Astar’s governance framework, but they serve different purposes.
6. Closing
To keep things clear:
- This RFC has served its purpose as a feedback and alignment phase.
- Your concerns and suggestions have directly influenced the decision to start with a Burndrop PoC, to pair Phase 2.
- No Burndrop action will start before the community has full information and time to review the final proposal.
Thank you again to everyone who participated, especially those who asked difficult questions or challenged the idea from different angles. That is exactly what we need at this stage.
We will use this thread as a reference as we publish the Burndrop PoC specification, the full Burndrop proposal and the next steps for Astar Evolution Phase 2.
On behalf of the Astar Foundation,
Gaius_sama 