Polkadot is Reinventing Its Foundations Gavin Wood shared some powerful insights at @Web3Summit that show just how far @Polkadot is shifting. It’s no longer just chasing scale. It’s reshaping the way it thinks about security, identity, and capital efficiency. The focus now is on creating a system that’s lean, resilient, and genuinely ready for what Web3 needs next: 🧠Cutting the Fat Polkadot plans to reduce its massive $500M annual security spend to $90M. Here’s what’s on the table: • Fixed fiat rewards for validators (around $5K/month) • Higher standards for validation (KYC, interviews) • Anon self-staking still possible, but more contained • Capped token supply at π × 10⁹ DOT with a biannual issuance step-down • All reward logic to be set transparently via OpenGov ⚙️New Era of Security with PoP Forget NPoS as we know it. Polkadot is shifting toward a Proof-of-Personhood + Individuality model. • Validators must prove identity, stake DOT, and gain voter support • Bad validators and their voters can both be slashed • Strong anti-sybil protections built in • More secure, lower cost, and more aligned with Web3 values 🧪zkJAM and Modular Security zk is still expensive, but Polkadot’s not waiting around. The plan: • Build a JAM zk framework using STARKs (not Groth16) • Start with storage proofs since compute is already fast • Long-term: zkPoP-JAM with layered security and recursive proofs • Elves protocol offers cheaper alternatives—being tested 🪙Stablecoin and Infra Play • A treasury proposal is coming to bootstrap a native stablecoin using DOT • Capital-efficient, decentralized, scalable, and inclusive by design • Oracles will support KYC and Web2 credential validation • “Web3 Outposts” are in development in Lisbon, Berlin, and Malta—bridging blockchain and real-world collaboration 🔐JAM Governance and Rollout • JAM specs = Gray Paper, updated publicly • Governance moves to an editorial board to avoid centralization • JAM 0.7.1 coming in August, with audits starting this year • SDKs and CoreVM dev moving fast, with EVM actor support baked in 📱Bonus: Identity-based UX is coming to life through gamified rewards, tattoo-linked profiles, and real onchain citizen apps.