Acala, Karura Seek Feb. 10, 2027 Network Shutdowns

By Tom Whitfield

Feb. 10, 2027 is the proposed date for Acala and Karura to stop producing blocks, according to governance proposals whose voting began Nov. 9. The shutdown plan would also require users to withdraw external assets before that date. Acala’s ACA and Karura’s KAR would remain on their respective chains.

The disclosed schedule separates each network’s native token from its external assets. It also places two Acala-specific LDOT deadlines in December 2026 and January 2027, ahead of the common shutdown date.

What are the two networks?

Acala is a Polkadot parachain, while Karura is its Kusama counterpart. Both shutdown proposals remain subject to governance approval. Their common endpoint would replace continuing block production with a fixed wind-down for the two networks.

Why are the networks shutting down?

Acala’s proposal says “the liquidity the network needed never arrived.” It also says Polkadot’s multichain structure “divided users and liquidity among parachains.” The stated rationale therefore centers on insufficient liquidity and the distribution of users and liquidity across a multi-parachain system.

That explanation locates the shutdown in network structure and liquidity conditions. The proposal does not provide an exit for ACA or KAR: both tokens would remain on their chains after block production stops.

Which assets can users withdraw?

The proposals ask users to withdraw external assets, including Polkadot (DOT), Kusama (KSM), Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), before the proposed shutdown. ACA and KAR remain non-withdrawable native tokens under the plan, and each would stay on its respective chain.

The word “including” leaves open whether the proposal covers additional external assets beyond those four. The treatment creates two distinct outcomes: external balances face a withdrawal deadline, while ACA and KAR have no withdrawal route. Acala’s final asset-return step therefore would not extend to ACA, and KAR would remain on Karura after shutdown.

What deadlines apply to LDOT?

Acala’s proposal sets two earlier deadlines for LDOT holders:

• Dec. 16, 2026: LDOT holders must unlock tokens locked to specific validators.
• Jan. 12, 2027: LDOT holders must request unstaking.

Validator unlocks are due 56 days before Feb. 10, while the unstaking request deadline falls 29 days before it. Acala LDOT holders therefore face two separate actions before the network’s final wind-down.

What happens on Feb. 10?

Acala’s plan schedules an attempt to return remaining external assets on Feb. 10, before Acala stops producing blocks. The wording describes an attempt, not a guarantee of full recovery for every remaining balance. It also provides no withdrawal route for ACA, which would stay on the Acala chain.

For Karura, the proposal details share the Feb. 10, 2027 proposed end date and the request to withdraw external assets. The disclosed terms do not specify a separate Karura final-return sequence comparable to Acala’s. That distinction matters because a common end date does not make the operational timetables identical.

After block production ends, neither network can process a later withdrawal transaction on its own chain. Acala’s Feb. 10 attempt is therefore the last withdrawal opportunity disclosed before the network stops.

What is the next checkpoint?

The first checkpoint is governance approval, because every operational date depends on the votes. If the proposals pass, external-asset holders would need to withdraw DOT, KSM, USDT and USDC before the wind-down, while Acala’s LDOT holders must meet the Dec. 16, 2026 unlock and Jan. 12, 2027 unstaking deadlines.

The final scheduled checkpoint is Feb. 10, 2027: Acala would attempt to return remaining external assets before ending block production, and both networks would cease producing blocks if the shutdowns take effect.