Cardano Research Exchange: The Effect of Parameter Changes on SPO and Delegator Incentives, Part 1/2
Monday, November 02, 2026
13:00 UTC
Duration: 45 minutes
Join Here: meet.google.com/msb-mwov-eid
For the second session of the Cardano Research Exchange, Manvir Schneider (Senior Research Scientist) and Juan Ignacio Beccuti Vázquez (Researcher in Economics and Governance), will share preliminary findings from their research into how Cardano’s staking reward scheme shapes incentives for stake pool operators and delegators.
During the session we’ll take a closer look at k, a₀, and minPoolCost: why these parameters were introduced, what behaviour they are intended to encourage, and where the trade-offs come in.
From there, the discussion will move to how these parameters play out under current network conditions, looking at stake distribution, pledge, operating costs, and delegator returns. Drawing on data, illustrative scenarios, and examples of previous parameter changes, the presentation will explore questions such as:
- What was k originally designed to achieve, and under what conditions could increasing it help distribute stake more broadly?
- How does a₀ influence the value of pledge, and what does that mean for pool operators versus delegators?
- What does minPoolCost mean for pool viability and competition, and what can be learned from its previous reduction?
- How do these parameters interact, and how much depends on factors such as ADA price, operating costs, and how operators and delegators respond?
There will be time for discussion, too. SPOs bring valuable hands-on experience to these questions, making their perspectives particularly useful for challenging assumptions, identifying gaps, and helping shape where the research goes next.
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