Avalanche (AVAX) has recently risen almost 50% ahead of Bitcoin and Ethereum over the past month. On a weekly basis it fell 1.7%, yet the upward trend over the last four weeks has been maintained. This price movement appears to be driven by the network upgrade and related feature improvements, which have prompted a positive market response.
On September 22, 2023, Avalanche applied the Helicon upgrade to its mainnet. The core of the update is that validators’ minimum deposit period was cut from two weeks to 48 hours. This change redefines how node operators confirm transactions and participate in consensus processes.
Validators are responsible for validating transactions and disbursing rewards; a shorter deposit period reduces the time they must lock up their assets. However, if a delegator wants to run Avalanche, it still requires a minimum two‑week deposit period. Thus, validators receive the 48‑hour reduction but delegators cannot withdraw funds after that same period. Therefore delegators still need to keep at least a two‑week deposit.
The Helicon upgrade confirms that validators’ minimum deposit period has been shortened, and this change is expected to have a positive impact on network scalability and security. The Avalanche community and investors can anticipate similar functional improvements and performance enhancements in the future.