Streamr (DATA): how it works, supply and reviews
In short
- Type
- Peer-to-peer publish/subscribe network for real-time data, not a blockchain of its own
- Maximum supply
- SIP-1 (2021) raised the hard-coded maximum from 1 billion to 2 billion DATA; new issuance needs further governance votes
- Risks and caveats
- The project reports financial distress in 2026: salaries suspended, cash reserve of about $133,540 at end of Q2 and no income.
- Checked
- 31 October 2026
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Key facts
- Ticker
- DATA
- Official site
- streamr.network
Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.
What is Streamr
Streamr is an open-source peer-to-peer network for publishing and subscribing to real-time data and live media streams. DATA is its ERC-20 utility token, used to pay node operators, stake and vote on governance; staking runs on Polygon.
Network and consensus
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Peer-to-peer publish/subscribe network for real-time data, not a blockchain of its own |
| Runs on | Uses companion blockchains (Ethereum, Gnosis, Polygon) for identity, security and payments |
| Smart contracts | Staking contracts (Operator, Sponsorship) are deployed on Polygon PoS |
| Data integrity | Every published message is signed by the publisher and checked by subscribers |
Supply and issuance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum supply | SIP-1 (2021) raised the hard-coded maximum from 1 billion to 2 billion DATA; new issuance needs further governance votes |
| Circulating supply | About 1.33 billion DATA at the end of Q2 2026, per the project's transparency report |
| Project reserve | About 530 million DATA unallocated plus 70 million allocated to the SIP-24 programme (end of Q2 2026) |
| Issuance | Token inflation-based funding has been halted since February 2026 |
| Initial distribution | 2017 sale: 65% of tokens for the public, total cap 30 million CHF (presale and crowdsale) |
What DATA is used for
- Node operators stake DATA to earn from relaying sponsored streams.
- Sponsors fund stream Sponsorship contracts in DATA; delegators fund operators and share their earnings.
- Holding DATA gives voting rights on Streamr Improvement Proposals (SIPs).
- Payments and visibility on the Streamr Hub dApp.
Who develops and governs Streamr
- Founders
- Started in 2017 by Henri Pihkala, Nikke Nylund, Risto Karjalainen and Michael Malka
- Governance
- DATA holders vote on SIPs on Snapshot; voting has run since February 2021
- Company
- Streamr Network AG, owned by founders and early investors, held 309.5 million DATA (Q2 2026)
- Company voting
- Streamr Network AG says it has abstained from governance votes since May 2021
- Team
- Active team of three as of Q2 2026, mostly working pro bono after salaries were suspended in May
- Open source
- Network code repositories are public; the new Streamr app repository is not yet public
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 31 August 2017 | Streamr announces a crowdsale of the DATAcoin token (symbol DATA), with Bitcoin Suisse onboarding contributions. |
| 17 February 2021 | Token holders approve SIP-1 (token migration, maximum supply raised to 2 billion DATA) with 99.89% of voting power. |
| 17 August 2021 | Token migration opens: the old token becomes XDATA and the new contract takes the DATA symbol; there is no deadline to migrate. |
| 24 February 2022 | The Brubeck mainnet and staking rewards go live. |
| 6 March 2024 | The Streamr 1.0 mainnet launch is called off at the last minute after an anomaly is found in the new Operator contracts. |
| 19 March 2024 | Streamr 1.0 mainnet goes live with the full DATA incentive layer (Sponsors, Operators, Delegators). |
| 12 June 2025 | Quantum-resistant algorithms for identity, signatures, encryption and key exchange are added in SDK version 103.0.0. |
Security and audits
- All published data is signed by the publisher and the signatures are validated by subscribers.
- Since June 2025 the SDK supports quantum-resistant algorithms for identity, signatures, encryption and key exchange.
- Operators who stake on a Sponsorship and fail to relay its streams risk having their stake slashed.
Security incidents
No security incident is recorded in the sources checked on 31 October 2026 (the company’s own channels and incident databases): defillama.com/hacks, hacked.slowmist.io/search, rekt.news/leaderboard, blog.streamr.network/post-sitemap.xml, x.com/streamr/status/1765363927016235401
Official DATA contracts
| Network | Contract address |
|---|---|
| Ethereum | 0x8f693ca8D21b157107184d29D398A8D082b38b76 |
| Polygon PoS | 0x3a9A81d576d83FF21f26f325066054540720fC34 |
| Gnosis Chain | 0x256eb8a51f382650B2A1e946b8811953640ee47D |
| BNB Smart Chain | 0x0864c156b3C5F69824564dEC60c629aE6401bf2a |
DATA is native to Ethereum and bridged to Polygon PoS, Gnosis Chain and BNB Smart Chain; staking happens on Polygon. Old pre-2021 tokens (XDATA) can still be migrated 1:1.
Risks and caveats
- The project reports financial distress in 2026: salaries suspended, cash reserve of about $133,540 at end of Q2 and no income.
- DATA was delisted from Binance (Q1 2026), then KuCoin and Gate.io (Q2 2026); markets are now mainly DEXes.
- The team says a relaunch or rebranding of the token may be needed in future.
- Streamr Network AG holds about 309.5 million DATA, a large share of the circulating supply.
Official links
- Website: streamr.network
- Docs: docs.streamr.network
- Source code: github.com/streamr-dev
- Blog: blog.streamr.network
- Governance forum: vote.streamr.network
- Token migration: streamr.network/token-migration
Questions and answers
What is Streamr (DATA)?
Streamr is an open-source peer-to-peer network for real-time data and live media. DATA is its ERC-20 token for staking, sponsorships and governance.
Is DATAcoin the same as DATA?
Yes. The token was sold in 2017 as DATAcoin (symbol DATA). In 2021 it moved to a new contract; the old token was renamed XDATA and can still be migrated 1:1.
What is the maximum supply of DATA?
SIP-1 raised the hard-coded maximum to 2 billion DATA in 2021. About 1.33 billion DATA were circulating at the end of Q2 2026.
Who created Streamr?
Henri Pihkala, Nikke Nylund, Risto Karjalainen and Michael Malka started the project in 2017. The company Streamr Network AG is owned by founders and early investors.
Has Streamr been hacked?
No hack or exploit was found in DefiLlama, SlowMist, rekt.news or Streamr's own blog. The 1.0 launch in March 2024 was paused after an anomaly was found in the Operator contracts before launch.
Sources
- Streamr — home page
- Streamr — DATA token
- Streamr — token migration
- Streamr Docs — governance
- Streamr Docs — network incentives
- Streamr Docs — smart contracts
- Streamr Docs — signing and verification
- Streamr Blog — Announcing the Streamr DATAcoin ICO (31 August 2017)
- Streamr Blog — SIP-1 and SIP-2 voting results (17 February 2021)
- Streamr Blog — It's time to upgrade your DATA tokens (17 August 2021)
- Streamr Blog — Brubeck mainnet and staking rewards go live (24 February 2022)
- Streamr Blog — Streamr 1.0 mainnet is live (19 March 2024)
- Streamr Blog — Quantum-resistant security (12 June 2025)
- Streamr Blog — Q2 2026 transparency report (20 August 2026)
- Streamr on X — 1.0 launch update (6 March 2024)
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