ZetaChain vote sets Dec. 9 target for Solana move and L1 halt

ZetaChain has put a second governance proposal to token holders that would halt its Layer 1 around Dec. 9 and move native ZETA to Solana, shifting the project from operating its own chain to using Solana as the token’s home. The ZetaChain announcement says the vote sets the migration mechanics and dates; voting is scheduled to close Nov. 7, and the move is conditional on approval.

The proposal follows a September vote that approved the direction of a Solana move with 99.4% support, according to ZetaChain. That earlier decision did not settle the shutdown timing or how balances would transfer. Proposal 2 supplies those terms. CoinMarketCap reported that, as of Thursday, the vote showed 100% Yes with 67% participation against a 40% quorum. Those figures are a snapshot during voting, not a final result.

What would happen to ZETA when the L1 stops?

At block 20,755,000, expected around Dec. 9, the proposal would record ZETA balances and stop the ZetaChain network at the same height. The CoinMarketCap report says the snapshot would include delegated and unbonding tokens and unclaimed staking rewards. ZetaChain’s plan is to mint the recorded total as a native Solana SPL token at a one-to-one ratio, then revoke the mint authority. The plan also says there will be no third-party bridge.

Eligible holders would claim through the ZetaHub portal by connecting the wallet that held their ZETA and signing a message naming a Solana wallet. Claims are slated to open Dec. 9, carry no fee and require no SOL, but the announcement says a wallet needs at least 10 ZETA at the snapshot to claim. Staked balances and unclaimed rewards are included; exchange balances are to convert automatically, with exchanges announcing their own support and timing.

The change is one-way: once the L1 stops, migrated ZETA cannot return to it. ZetaChain says ZETA on Ethereum is unaffected. Holders of ZETA inside contracts or liquidity pools face a different constraint: the project says those balances cannot be claimed by a wallet key, and advises users to unwrap or exit pools before the snapshot.

What changes compared with ZetaChain’s current model?

ZetaChain launched its L1 to connect assets and smart contracts across networks including Ethereum, Bitcoin and Solana. Under the proposal, that chain would cease operating, while ZETA becomes a Solana token. The trade-off is a simpler token migration without a third-party bridge, but holders would give up the existing L1 and its validator-based security model. The announcement does not describe a replacement chain or a route back if the Solana arrangement changes.

The proposal would also redirect about 55 million ZETA in undistributed validator emissions into twelve monthly burns during 2027, instead of paying those tokens to validators. ZetaChain says the planned 2.5% annual emissions from the L1’s fourth year would not begin, and that ZETA on Solana would have no inflation. That reduces future token issuance under the plan, while ending the emissions that would have supported the retiring network’s validators.

What should holders watch before Dec. 9?

First is the final result of the Nov. 7 vote: without approval, ZetaChain says it would return with a revised proposal, and the move would not proceed on these terms. If approved, the project says it will publish the security review, Solana mint address and migration-program address before Dec. 9. The portal is due to open only after the review is complete. The practical tests will be whether that review is published, the snapshot and claim process follow the stated schedule, and exchanges provide clear conversion instructions before the L1 halts.

Source material

• ZetaChain announcement — zetachain.com
• CoinMarketCap report — coinmarketcap.com