Lido (@LidoFinance): July 2026 Validator Set Highlights

July 2026 Validator Set Highlights Curious about what's happening inside the Lido validator set? July marked a major milestone for Lido Core, the main liquid staking infrastructure of the Lido protocol, with its latest upgrade going live and Curated Module v2 launching on Ethereum mainnet. Alongside this, ICS and IDVTC operator types were enabled for home and community operators from Simple DVT regular clusters, allowing them to continue validating permissionlessly within Lido Core through the CSM with improved staking parameters. This article covers only the key highlights (reading time less than 2 minutes). Lido Node Operators are encouraged to explore the full July Update on the Node Operator Portal for deeper context, technical details, and useful links. July Highlights Lido Core Upgrade Lido Core continues to evolve alongside Ethereum, powering the next generation of staking. The latest upgrade marks the protocol’s most significant evolution since Lido V2, introducing major changes across Lido’s staking modules architecture, including Staking Router v3, improvements to the Community Staking Module, and the new Curated Module v2. Curated Module v2 Live, Migration Ahead The new Curated Module v2 (CMv2) is live on Ethereum mainnet with Node Operators onboarding and the first 0x02 validator keys receiving deposits ahead of stake migration from the legacy Curated Module. Given Ethereum’s current validator activation queue of approximately 40 days, the transition will take time with the first deposited CMv2 validators scheduled to activate around September 13. Curated validator migration will reduce the total number of validators across the Ethereum network by roughly one third, which will meaningfully lower network congestion and Consensus Layer overhead reducing the number of attestation messages by approximately 29% every epoch. CSM Pathways for Independent Simple DVT Operators 128 eligible home and community stakers from the Simple DVT wound-down regular clusters are now able to continue validating through Lido Core via the Community Staking Module (CSM). These operators were granted Identified Community Staker (ICS) operator type, allowing them to participate individually or collaboratively with other ICS operators through an Identified DVT Cluster (IDVTC). Existing SDVTM home and community stakers registered as CSM operators can claim their ICS type directly in the UI, Eligible operators without a CSM profile will have the type assigned automatically upon operator creation. This provides a pathway for independent operators to continue contributing to Lido Core and retain experienced home and community stakers within the protocol via more-capital efficient and permissionless options through the CSM. Tapered Issuance Burn Proposal A new EIP-8363 introduces Tapered Issuance Burn, proposing changes to Ethereum’s ETH issuance curve that, if adopted, will have implications for across the entire ecosystem. Contributors shared their perspective on the proposal and its potential implications. The broader Lido community is encouraged to review the proposal and share feedback on Ethereum Magicians, where perspectives can be considered and visible to the wider Ethereum community. ETH Belgrade If you’re in Serbia or heading to it, join Lido contributors on August 26–27 for the fourth edition of ETH Belgrade, taking place during Belgrade Blockchain Week. The two-day event brings the Ethereum community together in the heart of the Balkans for talks, workshops, a hackathon, and networking. If you’re around, come and say hi! All Validator Set Updates in One Place Explore previous Monthly Validator Set Updates on the Node Operator Portal. Stay informed. Stay aligned. Keep securing Ethereum together.