- Staking is by no means a new phenomenon in the crypto world, but not everyone has even basic knowledge about this earning tool. Recently, we published an article on this topic, and today we want to share expert opinions on the prospects for the development of this market and the benefits of staking.
The director of business development for the EMCD cryptocurrency mining pool, Evgeny Kitkin, noted that staking remains one of the simplest yet most effective ways to generate passive income. He cited DefiLlama data, according to which, as of early August 2025, the TVL in liquid staking was around $67 billion, of which about $24 billion is attributed to ETH. This indicates that over the past three years, the staking market has reached an absolute maximum and continues to grow mainly due to institutional investments.
Regarding the development of the staking market, he believes that in the coming months we will see a flow of investments from large investors from traditional assets into ETFs and staking platforms such as Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) and others, as staking offers guaranteed returns for corporate clients at the level of 5%-20% per annum.
As for retail users, according to the expert, staking will remain one of the most popular ways to earn passive income. Today, CEX and DEX platforms offer favorable staking conditions for holders of tokens such as SOL, ADA, ETH, BTC, and several other popular coins. Staking yields can reach 400% APY, attracting new small investors into staking pools. However, one should not forget about the risks. Some platforms, especially in the DEX sector, which promise unrealistically high staking yields, often do not have such liquidity, meaning users may lose their savings.
Lead analyst at Bitget Research Ryan Lee answered the question of how much higher staking yields are compared to bank deposits.
In classic bank deposits, the yield typically ranges from 3% to 8% per annum (in some countries even lower, in developed economies often it is 1% to 3%, in high-inflation countries over 20%). These percentages are fixed, and the amount in the deposit is protected by government guarantees within the deposit insurance limit.
In staking, yields are often expressed as APY (Annual Percentage Yield), the annual percentage income in the form of rewards for locking funds in the network. On large and stable projects, the range is usually 5%-20% APY, but this yield is in tokens, not fiat. If the token price falls, the income in fiat equivalent can drop below zero. High APYs (>20%-30%) are often seen in new or niche projects, but this may be a sign of high inflation in issuance or a marketing ploy to attract interest in a new coin.
For example, if you send coins with a yield of 15% APY to staking, then with a 10% increase in the coin's price over the year, the real yield in fiat will be around 26.5% (taking into account the price increase and the tokens earned from staking). If the token depreciates by 30% over the year, then with the same yield of 15%, the actual losses will amount to about 18% in fiat.
Ryan Lee advises choosing a cryptocurrency for staking based on the following criteria:
token liquidity, network stability (whether there have been instances of network downtime, forks, and how often);
price history (how much the price drops during a crypto winter);
project team;
audit of smart contracts;
lock-up period (for how long funds need to be frozen);
minimum stake size (for example, for ETH — 32 ETH).
The most popular are ETH, Cardano (ADA), Solana (SOL), Polkadot (DOT), Tezos (XTZ).
Tehnobit CEO Alexander Peresichan described the technical and market risks to consider when staking.
From a technical perspective, vulnerabilities can arise both in the blockchain itself and in the smart contracts through which staking is conducted. Hacking a contract or an error in the code can lead to a complete or partial loss of funds. There is also a threat of '51% attacks,' where attackers gain control over the majority of validating nodes and can manipulate the network.
For participants who delegate their coins to validators, there is the risk of 'slashing.' This refers to a penalty for the validator's incorrect operation, including missing blocks or attempting to validate incorrect transactions. This can reduce income or lead to the loss of part of the stake.
Market risks are more apparent to all investors, but no less dangerous. Even with high nominal yields in tokens, a drop in their market price can make staking unprofitable when converted to fiat.
The expert also pointed out hidden fees and restrictions when staking.
Most networks assume a so-called 'lock-up,' a period during which funds cannot be withdrawn. This period can range from several days to several months, depending on the blockchain or pool conditions.
Some projects have a high minimum entry threshold. For example, in Ethereum, 32 ETH is required for direct staking. If a user does not have that amount, they can use staking pools that allow combining funds from many participants. However, pools take their commission, usually ranging from 5% to 15% of the reward. It is also important to remember the potential network fees for deposits and withdrawals.
If it comes to self-staking by running a personal node, expenses should include the cost of equipment, electricity, and a constant internet connection, since even a brief downtime of the node can lead to a penalty or loss of part of the reward.
Given that mining is a profit-generating tool, this activity will undoubtedly be regulated worldwide. IT consultant on digital technologies Roman Nekrasov discussed how things are progressing in this area.
In a number of countries, steps are already being taken towards regulating staking, mainly through requirements for exchanges and staking service providers. They may be required to verify customer identities, report to tax authorities, and withhold taxes from rewards. In some places, staking may even be classified as investment activity, in which case additional rules and restrictions will emerge.
In 2025, staking Ethereum became a focal point in the USA. The SEC stated that regular and liquid staking (including stETH and rETH tokens) are not considered securities, which removed some regulatory uncertainty. This allowed exchanges to once again offer staking to American clients, and funds to apply for ETFs with the possibility of staking ETH (i.e., investors would receive additional returns from staking, not just from the growth of the coin itself), although decisions on such products have not yet been made.
For the average user, this means that through familiar centralized platforms, the process may become slightly more complicated — verification will be required, reporting will need to be filled out, or taxes will need to be paid. Regardless, this will not completely close access to staking.
Decentralized solutions will remain accessible, although their use will require a higher level of technical literacy and understanding of risks.