Lido advances Core Upgrade to mainnet after successful tests

Lido’s Core Upgrade is officially heading to mainnet. The Lido DAO approved the sweeping protocol overhaul on or around July 23, 2026, after clearing every required governance hurdle, including a clean pass through Dual Governance with no vetoes from any stakeholder. For context, Dual Governance is Lido’s highest-level approval mechanism, designed so that even a well-organized dissenting faction can pump the brakes on a proposal. What actually changed The Core Upgrade bundles two major components: the Community Staking Module updated to version 3, and the brand-new Curated Module v2. The Community Staking Module, or CSM, is Lido’s permissionless entry point for node operators. Version 3 pushes that flexibility further, making it easier for new operators to participate at scale. Curated Module v2 introduces bond-based security mechanisms, which means node operators post collateral as a performance guarantee rather than relying solely on governance-managed reputation. The practical effect is less governance overhead per operator. Together, the two modules are designed to improve scalability, tighten security, and reduce governance friction. Existing stakers do not need to do anything...