The failure of the POS (Proof of Stake) mechanism
Have you noticed that many altcoin projects older than three years are bleeding to death? The total market cap of altcoins is also declining significantly.
One possible reason for this could be the failure of the Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism.
Bitcoin was created with a deflationary system called Proof of Work (PoW), which ensures that the number of coins generated decreases over time, creating scarcity and a deflationary economy. The rewards are fixed through a public mathematical formula, allowing future supply to be anticipated. The reduction in the number of coins mined daily is called the halving, which occurs every four years for Bitcoin.
However, over the last four years, leftist and democratic political forces pushed the crypto industry to adopt a less energy-intensive system. This led to the creation of the PoS mechanism.
How PoS Works
Proof of Stake generates rewards based on the amount of cryptocurrency staked. The percentage of rewards allocated each month is determined by governance votes, which are controlled by individuals or entities meeting a certain staking threshold. This system eliminates the need for computational power to mint new coins and encourages holders to stake their tokens rather than sell them on the market.
Today, most of the top 100 Layer-1 blockchains rely on PoS. For example, the entire Cosmos (
ATOM) ecosystem uses PoS, as do projects like 
INJ, 
TIA, 
FET, 
SEI, and even ETH.
The Problem with PoS
Unfortunately, this technology is showing its limitations, and as a result, many PoS-powered blockchains are struggling.
Key Issues:
Inflationary Nature:
PoS systems are inherently inflationary. As the number of staked tokens increases over time, the staking rewards also grow. Unlike PoW systems like Bitcoin, which create scarcity through halving events, PoS fails to do so, resulting in the opposite effect—oversupply.
Self-serving Governance:
Staking rewards are determined by governance votes cast by those who hold and stake the tokens. These participants have little incentive to vote for lower rewards, as it would reduce their income. This creates a system where whales and early adopters accumulate large amounts of tokens, benefiting from monthly rewards and becoming "retired" contributors to the ecosystem.
Bad for Retail Investors:
Retail investors suffer the most under PoS systems. The total supply of tokens increases logarithmically over time, causing the price of the coin to decline. Initially, the excitement around the project’s growth may offset this inflation, especially during the early stages of token generation events (TGEs) and favorable tokenomics. However, as staking rewards continue to mint new tokens, platforms like CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko fail to account for the rising supply, leading to hidden inflation.
Why These Projects Are Bleeding
This inflationary pressure, regardless of a project’s quality, is why many PoS projects are in decline. Holding these tokens long-term is a disastrous decision for retail investors. They are unknowingly holding coins that suffer from far higher inflation than is visible, creating a deceptive and exploitative system that slowly drains value from their holdings.
The Solution
The solution to this problem would be to remove governance-based reward decisions and implement a fixed annual reduction in staking APY (Annual Percentage Yield), similar to Bitcoin's halving mechanism. This would ensure that the supply is predictable, and coin generation becomes deflationary over time.
The Current Reality
Unfortunately, many PoS projects appear content to continue bleeding value from their coins. As a result, it’s advisable not to hold PoS projects for more than three years. The older the project, the more inflationary the PoS system becomes.
One possible reason for this could be the failure of the Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism.
Bitcoin was created with a deflationary system called Proof of Work (PoW), which ensures that the number of coins generated decreases over time, creating scarcity and a deflationary economy. The rewards are fixed through a public mathematical formula, allowing future supply to be anticipated. The reduction in the number of coins mined daily is called the halving, which occurs every four years for Bitcoin.
However, over the last four years, leftist and democratic political forces pushed the crypto industry to adopt a less energy-intensive system. This led to the creation of the PoS mechanism.
How PoS Works
Proof of Stake generates rewards based on the amount of cryptocurrency staked. The percentage of rewards allocated each month is determined by governance votes, which are controlled by individuals or entities meeting a certain staking threshold. This system eliminates the need for computational power to mint new coins and encourages holders to stake their tokens rather than sell them on the market.
Today, most of the top 100 Layer-1 blockchains rely on PoS. For example, the entire Cosmos (
ATOM) ecosystem uses PoS, as do projects like INJ, TIA, FET, SEI, and even ETH.The Problem with PoS
Unfortunately, this technology is showing its limitations, and as a result, many PoS-powered blockchains are struggling.
Key Issues:
Inflationary Nature:
PoS systems are inherently inflationary. As the number of staked tokens increases over time, the staking rewards also grow. Unlike PoW systems like Bitcoin, which create scarcity through halving events, PoS fails to do so, resulting in the opposite effect—oversupply.
Self-serving Governance:
Staking rewards are determined by governance votes cast by those who hold and stake the tokens. These participants have little incentive to vote for lower rewards, as it would reduce their income. This creates a system where whales and early adopters accumulate large amounts of tokens, benefiting from monthly rewards and becoming "retired" contributors to the ecosystem.
Bad for Retail Investors:
Retail investors suffer the most under PoS systems. The total supply of tokens increases logarithmically over time, causing the price of the coin to decline. Initially, the excitement around the project’s growth may offset this inflation, especially during the early stages of token generation events (TGEs) and favorable tokenomics. However, as staking rewards continue to mint new tokens, platforms like CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko fail to account for the rising supply, leading to hidden inflation.
Why These Projects Are Bleeding
This inflationary pressure, regardless of a project’s quality, is why many PoS projects are in decline. Holding these tokens long-term is a disastrous decision for retail investors. They are unknowingly holding coins that suffer from far higher inflation than is visible, creating a deceptive and exploitative system that slowly drains value from their holdings.
The Solution
The solution to this problem would be to remove governance-based reward decisions and implement a fixed annual reduction in staking APY (Annual Percentage Yield), similar to Bitcoin's halving mechanism. This would ensure that the supply is predictable, and coin generation becomes deflationary over time.
The Current Reality
Unfortunately, many PoS projects appear content to continue bleeding value from their coins. As a result, it’s advisable not to hold PoS projects for more than three years. The older the project, the more inflationary the PoS system becomes.
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.