Lido lets you stake tokens from Ethereum and Polygon. Choose a network to start at lido.fi/#networks
Delegating step-by-step
Although through the use of a liquid staking service such as Lido, you can eliminate the inconveniences of a token lock-up and enjoy non-custodial staking, liquid staking exposes stakeholders to interest rate risk and market volatility. Traditional staking, such as Everstake ETH non-custodial staking solutions, remains a straightforward and reliable choice.
How can I stake ETH or MATIC through Lido?
- Step 1: Go to Lido and select a network to stake liquidly by clicking "Stake now"
- Step 2: Connect a wallet
- Step 3: Enter ETH or MATIC amount you would like to stake
- Step 4: Click "Stake"
- Step 5: Enjoy rewards
NB:
- You will receive your stETH or stMATIC (depending on the initial token you stake) automatically; they are minted in return.
- Your Ethereum staking rewards with Lido compound automatically.
- Neither Lido nor node operators, responsible for managing your stake on behalf of Lido, have no control over your funds, as Lido provides liquid non-custodial staking.
Where can I stake to Lido?
You can stake to Lido either via its middleware, as it supports a wide range of wallets and the Wallet Connect protocol, or directly through your wallet (please check if supported here), as Lido has been integrated into the most used wallets.
Staking details
ETH liquid staking with Lido:
- Epoch duration: 6.4 minutes
- First reward info: the first epoch after staking
- Reward frequency: on a daily basis each day at 12PM UTC
- Min amount to stake: no minimum deposit
- Fee: 10% (50% to Lido, and 50% — Everstake)
- Unstaking period:
- There is no strict period for this. After initiating the withdrawal process for stETH and submitting the request through the Withdrawals tab, the completion time usually ranges from 1 to X days, depending on factors such as the withdrawal size and the existing withdrawal queue. Check the Exit queue length on the Rated Explorer for real-time data. Note that there is a withdrawal period after the unstaking period and the funds can go back to your wallet only once it has elapsed. Its duration depends on the number of users exiting the network at the same time as you. To learn the actual numbers, please check the Withdrawal queue length on the Rated Explorer. For a more accurate estimate of the waiting time, enter your withdrawal request amount on the Requests widget.
- Alternatively, you have the option to exchange stETH for ETH on supported exchanges immediately.
MATIC liquid staking with Lido
- Epoch duration: modifiable, meaning node operators can configure the length of an epoch during genesis generation. More in the docs
- First reward: the first checkpoint after staking
- Reward frequency: on a daily basis each day at 12PM UTC
- Min amount to stake: no minimum deposit
- Fee: 10% (100% to Lido, and 0% — Everstake)
- Unstaking period:
- stMATIC can be unstaked in several ways, including through the Lido on Polygon unstake widget. The default stMATIC unstaking period takes around 80 checkpoints (2-4 days) to process. After that, users can claim rewards in the Claim tab.
- Immediate withdrawal options are available through liquidity pools on AMM protocols and other DEXs where stMATIC can be exchanged for MATIC to exit staking. You could explore opportunities for exchanges here.
What is Lido?
Lido is a liquid staking solution for Ethereum and Polygon. It is backed by industry-leading staking providers such as Everstake, and others. One of the peculiarities of the Lido liquid staking is that it lets users stake their ETH and MATIC – without locking assets or maintaining infrastructure – while participating in DeFi, e.g., lending. Lido attempts to solve the problems associated with initial PoS staking, including illiquidity, immovability, and accessibility, making staked ETH and MATIC liquid and allowing for participation with any amount of tokens to improve the security of the Ethereum and Polygon networks respectively.
When staking with Lido, users receive stETH or stMATIC tokens on a 1:1 basis representing their staked ETH or MATIC respectively. stETH and stMATIC balances can be used like regular tokens, and are updated on a daily basis to reflect your ETH or MATIC staking rewards. Rewards are updated on a daily basis each day at 12PM UTC.
Learn more about Lido on the official website:
Have questions about the liquid staking or Lido? Contact us via email for more details or book a call with our Lido Blockchain Manager to ask your questions in person.
Everstake participation
Being a responsible validator is not limited to ensuring the blockchain works safely and soundly. It is also about ensuring a healthy ecosystem and protocol growth and development.
Thus, Everstake takes an active part in the governance process, both diligently revising new proposals and not missing any voting if the proposal gets to the DAO decision, as well as suggesting proposals to improve Lido protocol operations.
faq
What is liquid staking?
+Liquid staking allows users to earn staking rewards while utilizing benefits of a liquid representation of their stake. For example, the liquid equivalent of ETH within Lido protocol is stETH, MATIC – stMATIC.
So liquid staking protocols allow users to earn staking rewards without locking assets or maintaining staking infrastructure. Users can deposit tokens and receive tradable liquid tokens in return. The DAO-controlled smart contract stakes these tokens using elected staking providers.
As users' funds are controlled by the DAO, staking providers never have direct access to the users' assets.
How does Lido work?
+While each network works differently, generally, the Lido protocols batch user tokens to stake with validators and route the staking packages to network staking contracts. Users mint amounts of st[token] which correspond to the amount of tokens sent as stake and they receive staking rewards. When they unstake, they burn the st[token] to initiate the network-specific withdrawal process to withdraw the balance of stake and rewards.
Let’s consider how Lido liquid staking works with the example of the Ethereum network. When staking with Lido, users receive stETH tokens on a 1:1 basis representing their staked ETH. stETH can be used like regular ETH to earn yields and lending rewards and are updated daily to reflect your ETH staking rewards, minus any penalties.
When using Lido, users receive secure staking rewards in real-time, allowing for participation in securing Ethereum with fewer associated risks and less downside potential.
Learn more here.
Who are Node Operators (NO), and what role plays Everstake?
+The Node Operators (NOs) are entities who run validators on behalf of the protocol and receive fees in return. They manage a reliable, stable and secure infrastructure for operating nodes to benefit from the protocol. Within Lido, the Node Operators are professional staking providers who can ensure the safety of funds belonging to the protocol users and the correctness of validator operations.
Thus, Everstake is one of the trusted validators who runs validator nodes and participates in the Lido governance. Everstake is the biggest decentralized staking provider in the blockchain industry, trusted by 735,000 users. We have used enterprise-level hardware to run nodes for the most popular PoS blockchains since 2018.
All the Node Operators can be seen on the Lido Node Operator Dashboard.
Does Lido have its own token? Can I stake my LDO?
+Yes, it has – LDO. It is an Ethereum token granting governance rights in the Lido DAO. The Lido DAO governs a set of liquid staking protocols, decides on key protocol parameters (e.g., fees) and evolution, and executes protocol upgrades to ensure efficiency and stability.
By holding the LDO token, one is granted voting rights within the Lido DAO. The more LDO locked in a user’s voting contract, the greater the decision-making power the voter gets.
Currently, you cannot stake LDO. However, you can provide LDO as liquidity in respective liquidity mining programs (e.g., SushiSwap, 1inch).
For more details, see the Lido DAO token (LDO) section on the Lido website.
What networks does Lido already support?
+Are there any staking guidelines?
+The Lido team has created step-by-step guides. Check the main below:
Is it secure to stake with Lido?
+Absolutely. Lido is non-custodial middleware; thus, delegating your tokens is entirely safe. Your tokens always remain under your control and are accessible to you at any time. However, you must be aware of the risks liquid staking may impose (for more details, please check our article on liquid and traditional staking comparison).
Connecting your wallet doesn't involve sending transactions; it simply provides the website with your wallet's public address and enables it to request actions from your wallet. You, as a user, must manually approve these actions.
What is a protocol fee?
+The protocol applies a 10% fee on staking rewards both for ETH and MATIC deposits. This fee is split between node operators and the Lido DAO. That means the users receive 90% of the staking rewards returned by the networks.
Where can I use st[token]?
+st[token] can be used across a growing Web3 ecosystem. Explore apps and services integrated with st[token].
There are multiple coverage providers with different products for st[token]:
Check with providers for coverage and conditions.
Is my st[token] rebased?
+The mechanism which updates the st[token] balances every day is called a “rebase”.
stETH is a rebasing token because its supply is adjusted on a daily basis to accurately reflect the amount of ETH staked through the Lido middleware and any accrued rewards and/or slashing events that might have occurred. To maintain transparency and ensure each user's stETH accurately represents their proportionate participation, a daily rebasing mechanism is employed.
stMATIC is the utility token representing a share of the total MATIC staked through the protocol. It is a non-rebasing token, similar to wstETH, meaning that the amount of stMATIC in the user’s wallet address will not change while the MATIC balance updates inside the wrapper daily.
What is wstETH?
+wstETH is a wrapped version of stETH that does not undergo daily rebases. While stETH's token balance changes daily to reflect each user’s portion of the staked ETH and network rewards, wstETH does not change and maintains the same token balance.
There are two primary reasons to hold wstETH over stETH:
- Compatibility. Certain blockchains, dApps and services cannot technically support rebasing tokens. In such cases, wstETH offers a suitable alternative that can be utilized within these ecosystems without encountering compatibility issues.
- Consistent balance. For users who prefer a consistent token balance without daily rebases, wstETH provides a viable alternative. By holding wstETH, users can participate in staking while maintaining the same token balance.
