Katana avKAT Staking Launch: vKAT Ends, Fees Flow From Nov 17
Key Takeaways
vKAT staking and voting end on November 17, 2026, and fee revenue starts flowing to avKAT on the same day.
Every KAT bought through buybacks goes to avKAT stakers, according to the Katana Foundation.
The unstake cooldown drops from 45 days to 7 days.
Rewards depend on real network usage and are not guaranteed.
Katana avKAT Staking gets a major rebuild on November 17, 2026, when vKAT staking and voting end and fees from products begin funding KAT buybacks.
The Katana Foundation shared the details in its official tokenomics update, saying the old three-token setup was too complicated for most holders.
What Changes for KAT Holders on November 17?
You can no longer stake KAT for vKAT, vote on emissions, or collect vote incentives after the sunset, while the KAT token itself stays the same.
If you already hold avKAT, you do not need to do anything, because your position joins the new revenue model on its own and compounds every epoch, which is simply one reward cycle on the network.
How Does the KAT Buyback Work for avKAT Stakers?
A share of fees from Katana Swap, Perps, Vault Bridge, and the sequencer is used to buy token on the open market. The Foundation lists the split as 50% from Katana Swap, 5% from network Perps, 5% from Vault Bridge, and 30% from sequencer fees, and all the KAT bought is added to avKAT without any claiming.
Buybacks follow a set schedule at launch and move to fully automated onchain execution after security and engineering work is finished.
Why Katana Bought Sushi, IDEX, and Vault Bridge
Katana now owns the Sushi deployment on its chain, so swap fees stay inside the ecosystem instead of leaving it. It also acquired IDEX, the team behind Katana Perps, in March 2026, and it owns Vault Bridge, which puts bridged assets to work in yield strategies on Ethereum.
Removing the voting layer lets revenue from all four sources reach holders directly, and new sources can be added later as the chain grows.
How to Unstake avKAT With the New 7-Day Cooldown
Open the staking page, request an unstake, wait out the cooldown, and then claim your token. Waiting the full seven days costs no fee, while leaving early starts at a 25% fee with seven days left and shrinks to 21%, 18%, 14%, 11%, 7%, and 4% as each day passes.
You can also swap avKAT for Katana Token on a DEX that lists the pair, but the price may differ from the protocol rate and slippage, meaning a fill at a different price than expected may apply.
How to Convert vKAT to avKAT
There is no deadline, so you can convert before or after November 17 by connecting your wallet on the Katana staking app and clicking “Convert to avKAT."
After the sunset, vKAT stops earning voting fees and incentives, which means holders who want staking rewards should convert.
Is Katana avKAT Staking Safe? Audits and Risks
Katana runs on a lightly customized OP Stack with a zero-knowledge prover, and its security overview lists two code audits with formal verification by Certora for the token in March and April 2025.
Audits lower risk but cannot remove it, so smart contract bugs, bridge problems, and price swings can still cause losses. The Foundation also says its goal is a simpler staking model, not guaranteed returns, and actual benefits will vary with protocol activity.
YMYL Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not financial or investment advice. Crypto is volatile and carries a risk of loss, so check official sources before you act.
