Kusama's Historic First Slot Auction
Kusama's inaugural parachain slot auction commenced on June 15th at 7:00 PM UTC, marking a pivotal moment for the Polkadot ecosystem. Notably, Polkadot-JS automatically displays crowdloan winners as "bids" in the auction interface.
Key Auction Milestones
- June 16th: Total crowdloan caps from all projects surpassed the circulating KSM supply. Teams set these caps voluntarily, and achieving them isn't required for auction participation.
👉 Track live crowdloan data - June 17th (4:00 PM UTC): The auction entered its randomized ending period. While the exact conclusion time remained unpredictable, retrospective analysis revealed the auction ended on June 22nd.
Parallel Chain Registration Boom
As of June 17th:
- 81 parallel chain ID requests were submitted (Query via
registrar.nextParaIdminus 2000 for non-system IDs) - 13 parallel threads registered, with 12 initiating Kusama crowdloans
For clarity on crowdloan parameters, refer to Polkadot's explainer guide.
Ecosystem Developments
Community Initiatives
- KusaMEME Contest: A parachain-themed meme competition with prizes for creative submissions
- Hypercube Videos: Treasury-funded educational series about Kusama's technology
Treasury Proposals Under Review
- SubQuery & Fearless: Seeking council feedback for dApp GraphQL API development
- Polkashots: Proposal to integrate IPFS for database snapshot storage
Auction Snapshot (June 22nd)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total KSM Locked | 727,305 (6.5% supply) |
| Top Project (Karura) | 500,000 KSM from 14k accounts |
| Network Staking Rate | 47% |
Polkadot Ecosystem Updates
Governance Highlights
- Proposal to increase Polkadot Council members to 17
- Figment's treasury proposal approved: DOT rewards for educational initiatives
Builders Program
Developers can apply to Parity's Substrate Builders Program for support with parallel chain development.
FAQ Section
Q: How does Kusama's auction ending period work?
A: After entering the randomized window, the auction concludes unpredictably, with exact timing confirmed retroactively.
Q: Can projects adjust their crowdloan caps mid-auction?
A: No, caps are set beforehand and remain fixed throughout the auction.
Q: What happens to unused KSM after crowdloans?
A: Unlocked KSM returns to contributors' wallets after lease periods expire.
👉 Explore Kusama crowdloan opportunities
Reminder: Virtual bids shown on Polkadot-JS reflect crowdloan totals, not manual bids. The system automatically processes these during the ending period.