[DIP-56] Anchor Client Continued Development and Maintenance (2026-2027)
Proposal Summary
The ssv.network DAO proposes to enter into a two-year agreement between the SSV Foundation and Sigma Prime for the continued maintenance and strategic development of the Anchor client, the second client for the SSV Network.
The agreement covers a comprehensive scope of work, including mandatory protocol upgrades, key improvements, and community support, ensuring the Anchor client remains stable and feature-complete.
The total contract value is $2.5M USD, paid in quarterly milestones over a 24-month period, starting on the 1st of January 2026.
Scope of Work
The comprehensive scope of work for this two-year agreement (January 2026 – December 2027) is detailed in the accompanying SSV Network - Anchor Research and Development 2026 Grant Proposal.
The work is structured around three key streams:
- Client Maintenance: Continuous updates to Anchor to support all planned Ethereum (e.g., Glamsterdam) and SSV Network protocol upgrades.
- Key Improvements: Research and implementation of high-impact features like Checkpoint Syncing for SSV nodes, networking optimizations, and design/prototyping of a Leaderless Consensus mechanism.
- Future Research: Exploration of next-generation improvements, such as enhanced block propagation techniques and state transition applications.
Terms
If this proposal passes, key terms and conditions will be incorporated into the service agreement between Sigma Prime and the SSV Foundation, with the SSV Foundation having discretion to add further terms for the DAO's benefit.
- Contract Value: A total contract value of $2.5M USD is requested for a two-year maintenance package, starting January 1, 2026, and ending December 2027.
- Payment Schedule: The contract will be paid in eight equal quarterly milestones of $312.5k USD each, as detailed in the Statement of Work.
- Payment Split and Floor Price:
- First 12 Months: Payment split is 30% SSV / 70% USDC, with a $1.5 SSV floor price.
- After 12 Months: Payment split shifts to 70% SSV / 30% USDC. The SSV floor price will be recalculated quarterly as the 7-day moving average price on the first of the quarter minus 50%, with a minimum fixed floor of $0.75.
- The price of $SSV is defined as the 30-day trailing moving average of the market price, calculated as of the first (1st) day of the following quarter.
- License and Open Source
- The Anchor client must remain fully open-source and licensed under Apache 2.0.
- Previous Agreements: If passed, a new agreement will enter into force, completely replacing the previous agreement and rendering the remaining milestones obsolete.
Budget
This expense hasn’t been part of the original 4-year DAO budget in DIP-26. Given the tight market conditions, the following budget spillover and reallocations are proposed to finance this development without exceeding the DAO’s budget.
| Budget | Spillover Budget | Allocated to Anchor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Grants Budget | $500k | $500k | $500k |
| BizDev Budget | $500k | $245k | $245k | |
| Sub-Total | $745k | |||
| Budget | New Budget | Allocated to Anchor | ||
| 2026 | Grants Budget | $500k | $100k | $400k |
| BizDev Budget | $500k | $150k | $350k | |
| DAO Committee | $300k | $250k | $50k | |
| 2027 | Grants Budget | $500k | $100k | $400k |
| BizDev Budget | $500k | $150k | $350k | |
| DAO Committees | $300k | $250k | $50k | |
| Sub-Total | $1.6M | |||
| + Buffer (10%)* | $1.76M | |||
| Total | $2.5M |
*As granted by the DAO in DIP-26
If this proposal passes, the original DIP-26 budget will be updated accordingly and reported here.
Off-Chain Vote
Timeline
Mar 30, 2026Proposal created
Mar 30, 2026Proposal vote started
Apr 06, 2026Proposal vote ended
Apr 07, 2026Proposal updated