1inch staking gives Unicorn Power that declines as the lock approaches expiry.

1inch staking gives you Unicorn Power (UP) that declines as your staking lock approaches expiry. The deposited 1INCH amount can remain unchanged while this voting weight falls. In the time-decaying st1INCH model, longer locks begin with more power for the same deposit. This decay also affects power used for decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) governance or delegated to Fusion resolvers.

A staking balance, a voting-weight balance, and a reward balance answer different questions. Reading them together explains whether a change comes from elapsed lock time, a changed position, or a resolver's incentive program.

Reading a stake's amount, unlock time, and voting weight

A meaningful comparison uses the same account and staking contract, because the deposit, unlock time, and voting weight belong to that position.

The recorded deposit

After staking completes, the staking view shows the deposited amount, the selected lock period, and the resulting UP. The underlying deposit is the quantity of tokens committed to the contract. Voting weight measures the influence that the deposit carries at a particular time. A lower UP reading alongside an unchanged deposit therefore describes a change in influence, without establishing that tokens have left the position.

The remaining lock

An unlock time identifies when the position becomes eligible for ordinary withdrawal. Remaining lock time runs down even when the account submits no transaction. An actual extension changes that unlock time; simply reconnecting the wallet does not renew the commitment.

The relationship between 1INCH, st1INCH, and UP

1INCH is the governance and utility token that a holder deposits, while st1INCH represents tokens committed to the governance staking contract. UP expresses the voting weight calculated from that stake. These quantities use different accounting rules, so a wallet's raw st1INCH balance should not be read as an equal amount of current voting power. The staking representation is non-transferable. Resolver rewards accrue through their own incentive programs, with amounts that depend on the program and the participating delegators.

Why does Unicorn Power fall without a withdrawal?

Unicorn Power falls because the time-decaying staking model reduces the weight of an unchanged stake as time passes toward its recorded unlock date.

Time changes the calculation

UP depends on the stake amount and its remaining lock time. For a fixed deposit and unlock time, a later calculation produces less power. The time-decaying st1INCH model calculates voting power with an exponential decay curve. Its curve does not subtract a fixed quantity of UP every day, so a straight-line projection misrepresents the mechanism.

Lock length changes the starting weight

The time-decaying st1INCH contract requires at least 30 days of remaining lock time for a deposit. Its maximum remaining lock is 730 days. Within those limits, a longer lock gives the same deposit more UP at the time of staking. Waiting then reduces that weight as the remaining commitment shortens.

Can locked 1INCH be withdrawn before expiry?

Early withdrawal can return part of the deposited 1INCH before expiry when the position satisfies the contract's timing and loss conditions. The rest becomes the withdrawal penalty. This deduction occurs when the exit executes.

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The penalty normally shrinks as the unlock time approaches. More of the time commitment has elapsed, so the contract calculates a smaller loss for leaving early. Declining UP and a declining penalty can therefore occur together. They describe different properties: the influence that the position retains and the tokens that an early exit would return.

The contract can require a minimum elapsed share of the lock as well as an acceptable loss. A loss estimate alone therefore does not establish that every withdrawal condition passes.

An early-withdrawal transaction can also specify the minimum tokens returned and the maximum acceptable loss. These bounds cause a transaction that fails either requirement to revert. A preview remains an estimate until the transaction executes under the contract's checks.

Expiry removes the lock without returning tokens automatically

Expiry makes the stake eligible for ordinary withdrawal without the early-exit penalty, although the tokens remain in the staking contract until withdrawal executes. The remaining UP figure is not the amount that the withdrawal returns.

Ordinary withdrawal returns the recorded 1INCH deposit and removes its staking representation. That ends the voting weight associated with the withdrawn stake. An expired lock and a completed withdrawal are different states, so a visible staking balance after the deadline does not itself establish a failed return.

Governance applies the weight to proposal decisions

Within the DAO, UP determines the influence attributable to a staking position, while voting rules determine how that influence contributes to a proposal. Holding unstaked 1INCH alone does not provide this staking-based weight. Discussion access and weighted voting are separate parts of governance, and an account can receive delegated voting power without holding its own stake.

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Voting weight also differs from a percentage of all participating votes. Other stakes, their remaining locks, and delegation arrangements affect the totals against which a position is considered. A falling personal UP balance therefore does not imply an identical fall in its proportional influence. Proposal creation thresholds and quorum requirements belong to governance settings; those thresholds are separate from the stake's decay calculation.

Resolver delegation carries the stake's decaying power

Delegating UP to a Fusion resolver directs that stake's power toward a market participant that fills swap orders, and the delegated power continues to decay. It also does not require transferring the underlying staked tokens to the resolver. The staking representation remains associated with the staker, while delegation accounting records the beneficiary. Changing the beneficiary changes who receives the delegated influence; it does not extend the recorded staking lock or erase its withdrawal conditions.

Governance delegation through Snapshot operates independently from resolver delegation, allowing the same stake's power to support both roles. Resolver participation still has its own eligibility requirements. Delegating a stake to an existing resolver does not make the delegator responsible for running that resolver's order-filling infrastructure.

Resolver rewards depend on the distribution program

Resolver reward programs determine how delegated power turns into token incentives, using the program's funded distribution and each participant's share of the delegated power. A resolver chooses its reward distribution amount and period. Consequently, the token payout depends on more than a personal UP reading. The relative power of other delegators and the active reward budget affect the allocation. A change in UP alone cannot identify the change in future rewards without those inputs.

An annual percentage yield (APY) shown for a resolver is an incentive figure that can change with the program's conditions. It is not a fixed ratio between locked 1INCH and rewards. Extending a lock can increase the stake's power, while the resolver's funding and distribution schedule still constrain the available reward pool. The higher weight does not establish a fixed payout for the longer commitment.

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