PANews reported on September 16th that Polkadot's referendum, #1721, has passed, marking the project's official entry into Phase 2.0. This upgrade eliminates the parachain slot auction, enables flexible scaling, lowers the developer entry barrier, and plans to enable EVM compatibility, improve liquidity, and reduce high staking returns. The annual DOT inflation rate will be reduced to 3.1% in 2026. The Polkadot Hub and related liquidity initiatives are expected to launch in 2026.