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The ability to stake Crypto, or essentially lend it to a network ecosystem, while earning more tokens in reward, is set to become a more widely available option for many crypto holders in 2022.
With Ethereum (ETH) set to switch to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism later this year, native staking on that platform will be accessible to potentially millions of new users.
Ethereum’s move to a staking method of validating transactions (ie. “proof of stake”) is viewed as a major upgrade event. Ethereum holders can actually already participate in Ethereum staking, by reserving their current Ethereum for the so-called “Eth2” upgrade, which hasn’t been migrated to yet.
Users who hold Ethereum in wallets may have noticed Eth2 “staking” features associated with their Ethereum wallet holdings.
Other major networks either already have staking features, or soon will.
Algorand is noted for having one of the most user-friendly staking options out there. On Coinbase, for example, ALGO can be staked with no set period to lock tokens, preserving quick liquidity if necessary.
Other popular tokens and stable coins that offer staking include Tezos (XTZ), Cosmos (ATOM) and USD Coin (USDC).
Hedera, a DLT (Decentralized Ledger Technology) based on unique hashgraph technology, is set to implement staking for HBAR, its network token. That’s significant, since Hedera is currently the most utilized DLT for enterprise class companies.
Industry insiders also anticipate to see more institutional interest in staking, as well as the expansion of liquid staking, staking through layer-2 protocols, and staking via GameFi (decentralized apps with economic incentives) and NFT platforms. That’s according to sources that spoke to Cryptonews.com.
What is Staking and How Does it Work?
If a crypto network allows staking, that means holders of that network’s tokens can place the tokens into a staking pool. The tokens are usually “locked” for a period of time, which means they can’t be retrieved by the owner.
The tokens are used by the networks to help power tasks like validating transactions via a staking process, where certain amounts of tokens are required to be held to “vote” on validating transactions.
By staking tokens, holders can earn a percentage of added tokens over time. This is commonly done via a “staking pool,” which is comparable to an interest-bearing savings account.
Currently about 8 percent of total crypto holdings are staked.
A 2021Q4 report by industry analyst Staked determined that proof-of-stake crypto assets now make up over 30 percent of the sector’s overall market cap.
That’s an increase of almost 130 percent from 2020.
With upgrades of crypto networks adding staking capabilities, which represent a win-win for networks and token holders, it’s likely that staking will become much more common this year, adding to crypto momentum.