Anza Proposes 90% Cut to Solana Account Creation Fees to Unlock Dormant SOL
Anza, a core Solana development firm, has proposed SIMD-0389 to reduce Solana’s account rent-exempt minimum from 0.0015 SOL to 0.00015 SOL — a 90% cut. Brennan Watt, Anza’s VP of Core Engineering, says the change would lower the economic barrier for creating accounts, making it feasible to recover many small, dormant SOL balances that are currently uneconomical to reclaim. The proposal aims to improve capital efficiency, increase liquidity by returning stranded SOL to circulation, and reduce onboarding costs for developers and users. SIMD-0389 will undergo community review and validator discussion before any network upgrade implements the change. If adopted, wallets and tools would need to support the lower fee to enable recovery of old balances. Key keywords: Solana, account creation fees, SIMD-0389, Anza, dormant SOL, fee reduction.
Bullish
Reducing Solana account creation fees by 90% is likely bullish for SOL and the Solana ecosystem. The proposal directly addresses friction that keeps small balances inactive; by making account creation and recovery economically viable, it can mobilize previously stranded SOL, increasing circulating supply and on-chain liquidity. Lower fees also reduce onboarding costs for new users and developers, which can spur activity, NFT and token experimentation, and higher transaction volume—positive demand drivers. Historically, protocol changes that lower user friction (e.g., gas fee optimizations on other chains) have supported higher network activity and improved token sentiment. Short-term: news of the proposal can trigger speculative buying and positive sentiment for SOL, and some volatility around governance votes. Traders may see a quick uptick in SOL price on adoption hopes. Mid-to-long term: if implemented and followed by actual recovery of dormant SOL and increased usage, the network could see sustained growth in transactions and developer activity, supporting a durable bullish case. Risks: fee cuts must preserve anti-spam security; if validators or market participants perceive increased attack vectors, there could be negative reactions. Also, returning large dormant holdings to circulation could create selling pressure if reclaimed tokens are dumped. Overall, benefits to liquidity and accessibility likely outweigh short-term risks, making the net impact bullish.