Ethereum researchers, including the Ethereum Foundation's Justin Drake, have proposed burning validator rewards to keep staking from passing half of all ETH.

The 'Tapered Issuance Burn' would destroy a growing share of each validator reward as the staking ratio climbs, reaching 100% near 60.25M ETH staked, about half the supply. Rewards would taper over roughly 18 months. Backers argue that beyond a point, extra stake concentrates power and makes Ethereum less secure. Aave Labs CEO Stani Kulechov pushed back, calling the proposal hurtful for Ethereum and its DeFi yield strategies.