Starknet layer 1 idea still needs governance approval

Starknet is weighing a move from Ethereum layer 2 to its own layer 1, and no change has been approved. Starknet's official account on X said Oct. 8, 2026, that the network is "actively considering becoming an L1." Under StarkWare's June 30, 2026, quantum roadmap, every protocol-level change needs approval through Starknet's governance process.

For STRK holders, the price move came first: CoinGecko data as of Oct. 10, 2026, show the token had already climbed about 48.5% by around Oct. 3, five days before the posts.

The question came from StarkWare co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson. In a post on X, he asked whether Starknet becoming an L1 "for post-quantum agility" is a good or bad idea. He named the quantum threat and AI as the two elements to watch. Starknet's account quoted his post about 13 minutes later.

The roadmap also says no timeline or outcome described in it is assured. Under Starknet's STRK documentation, major updates to the Starknet Operating System require token-holder approval. Protocol changes essential to liveness, security and maintenance require a vote, cast directly or by delegation.

Bankless reported that no formal proposal or vote exists yet.

Part of Starknet's quantum fix waits on Ethereum

A layer 1 is a base blockchain; a layer 2 runs on top of one. Starknet's Oct. 8 post named the goal of a switch. As an L1, the account said, Starknet could become "the first fully quantum-resistant network," with 2027 as its target. Bankless reported that Ben-Sasson said Ethereum is targeting full quantum resistance by the end of 2029.

Ben-Sasson made the broader case in the first post of his thread. In his view, the right cryptography, crypto agility and becoming an L1 together make a chain "truly future-proofed." He tied the post to his Token2049 talk that day.

StarkWare's June 30 roadmap shows where Ethereum sets the pace. Two pieces of Starknet still depend on Ethereum: the bridge that carries messages between the chains and the data Starknet posts to Ethereum. Both rely on elliptic-curve cryptography and can be fixed only after Ethereum migrates. StarkWare puts the fix for the bridge calls at about one month after that migration.

That roadmap left the bridge and data-availability fixes waiting on Ethereum's migration. StarkWare committed to monitoring inherited L1 dependencies and Ethereum's migration path. Published about three months before the posts, the roadmap did not mention making Starknet an L1.

STRK's rally started before the Oct. 8 posts

On CoinGecko, STRK traded at about $0.0707 as of Oct. 10, 2026, at 10:05 UTC. That was up about 62.8% over seven days and about 141.8% over 30 days.

Together, the two figures show when the climb happened. A month earlier, the implied price was about $0.0292. By the time the seven-day window opened around Oct. 3, five days before the posts, STRK had reached about $0.0434. Over 60 days, the price nearly tripled.

STRK holders still depend on Ethereum

Starknet's STRK documentation sets the supply calendar. Up to 127 million STRK, 1.27% of total supply, unlock on the 15th of each month from Investor and Early Contributor allocations. The schedule runs from April 15, 2025, through March 15, 2027, for up to 3.048 billion STRK in total.

The same page still describes Starknet as a layer 2 over Ethereum. The network depends on third parties to maintain and operate Ethereum.

Since the v0.14.0 release on Sept. 1, 2025, Starknet transaction fees have been payable only in STRK. The receiving sequencer, the operator that orders transactions, may convert part of those fees to ETH. That covers Ethereum L1 gas costs, which must be paid in ETH.