Starknet backs research into an independent layer one
Starknet holders backed research into an independent layer one. Ethereum settlement stays in place, and the quantum timeline is the choice that remains.
Starknet has a research mandate for a layer-one design, and the network still settles on Ethereum. Holders of the Starknet (STRK) token closed a non-binding Snapshot poll on October 22, 2026, with the choice “Yes, this should be researched” taking 93.52% of voting power, a share both the Starknet Foundation and StarkWare recorded across 3,236 votes. The design question outlasts the tally. Starknet can change account signatures on its own schedule, while the bridge and data availability still follow Ethereum, whose Protocol cluster is aiming for a quantum-resistant Layer 1 (L1) only by December 2029.
The forum proposal is titled “Should Starknet become an independent post-quantum L1?” The Snapshot proposal, open to STRK stakers and delegators, started at 09:32 UTC on October 15, 2026, and ended at 09:32 UTC on October 22, 2026. The three choices were “Yes, this should be researched”, “No, this shouldn't be researched”, and “Neutral, I need more information”. Snapshot lists the quorum at zero. The market a later design would replace is a different order of size: DeFiLlama showed Starknet with about $40.9 million in Total Value Locked (TVL) on October 28, 2026, against about $46.4 billion on Ethereum the same day.
What the ballot authorises
On the terms in the opening governance post, a Yes starts research that leads to more detailed proposals and further polls. A No would have kept post-quantum work on the Layer 2 (L2) path. A Neutral result would have left the thread open until the missing answers arrived. The winning choice puts StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation on a joint study, and the Foundation says formal approval waits until the research and design phase concludes. STRK stays the token, with no new token, and bridges from Ethereum to Starknet stay open.
StarkWare’s October 22, 2026, note says the two organisations have launched a working group to draft a white paper in the coming weeks and then put a detailed proposal to a further community vote. Starknet still settles on Ethereum, and any chain split waits on that later vote.
Who answered
L2BEAT’s governance team, composed of kaereste and Manugotsuka, wrote on the proposal thread on October 25, 2026: “We support Starknet continuing to research and prepare for a post-quantum future. Where we disagree is with the idea that becoming an independent L1 should be the direction of that work.” The team treats Ethereum settlement as part of Starknet’s security model. Cumulo’s Mon, whose firm runs a Starknet validator on mainnet and Sepolia, told the same thread that Cumulo had voted Yes and would test early node releases.
Other Ethereum L2s are already choosing on different grounds. Base has swapped an earlier block path for canonical 200 millisecond blocks, which keeps its market inside Ethereum settlement. Blast is winding down an Ethereum Layer 2 after costs exceeded revenue. Private-chain operators are still anchoring to Ethereum mainnet, including the CDK Besu launch for permissioned networks. Starknet’s poll asks whether a quantum timetable is reason enough to give up that settlement.
As an L2, Starknet relies on Ethereum for the bridge and for data availability, and StarkWare says both still use elliptic-curve cryptography, so full quantum resistance waits on Ethereum’s migration, which StarkWare dates to 2029. The Ethereum Foundation’s Protocol cluster, in its September 7, 2026, priorities post, says it is aiming for the L1 to be quantum-resistant across execution, consensus and data by December 2029. STARK proofs already use hash functions rather than elliptic curves, and native account abstraction lets accounts adopt post-quantum signatures without a protocol upgrade. StarkWare’s Quantum Hub carries a quantum-safety target set in 2027, while the opening proposal states that no timeline yet exists for an independent L1.
The gap between that 2027 target and Ethereum’s December 2029 date is what a custodian has to underwrite: bridge risk, whether Cairo contracts keep their addresses, and who can reorder a payment once finality is Starknet’s own. The working group has said forum replies from validators and builders will set the research order. If the white paper shows the 2027 target can be met while the bridge and data availability stay on Ethereum, post-quantum work continues on the L2. If those surfaces stay tied to December 2029, holders will be asked to trade today’s settlement guarantees for a faster cryptographic schedule, with STRK still the token and the bridges still open. Either reading leaves the October result as a research brief that outlasts the 93.52% share.
This article is informational analysis only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and can lose substantial value rapidly. Past performance and historical patterns do not guarantee future results. Do your own research and consult a regulated financial adviser before making any investment decision.
Reporting by Karthik Subramanian. Filed 28 October 2026, 14:43 GMT.
Digital Assets Correspondent
Karthik Subramanian is a founder, writer, and technology consultant with nine years in the crypto ecosystem.
