Acala and Karura Plan to Stop Producing Blocks on Feb. 10, 2027; Users Told to Withdraw Assets

Acala and Karura plan to stop producing blocks on Feb. 10, 2027, if governance proposals are approved, and have urged users to withdraw eligible assets beforehand. According to Foresight News, community voting began on Nov. 9. Users should withdraw DOT, KSM, and external assets such as USDT and USDC before the chains stop operating; native tokens ACA and KAR cannot be withdrawn and will remain on their respective chains. LDOT holders must request unstaking by Jan. 12, 2027. LDOT locked to specific validators must first be unlocked by Dec. 16, 2026, while LKSM holders must request unstaking by Feb. 2, 2027. Users with lending or liquidity positions must close them before withdrawing assets. After the chains stop operating, the teams will try to return remaining external assets to users’ corresponding accounts on Polkadot or Kusama Asset Hub, but some assets may not be recoverable. External assets in the chains’ treasuries will be donated to the Polkadot and Kusama treasuries, respectively. Acala said the shutdown plans stem from insufficient liquidity in the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems and a multi-chain structure that has spread liquidity and users across many parachains. The project also cautioned that third-party services claiming to restore or migrate assets are scams.