Coinranking
Staking coins
674 coins #8 Page 12
Trending Staking coins
| Coins | Price | 24h | |
|---|---|---|---|
| |  Polkadot DOT | $ | -0.59%  |
| |  Hedera HBAR | $ | -0.40%  |
| |  Solana SOL | $ | -2.23%  |
| |  Ethereum ETH | $ | -2.02%  |
| |  Cardano ADA | $ | -1.42%  |
Top gainers
| Coins | | | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |  KernelDAO KERNEL | $ | +6.21%  | ||
| |  SKALE SKL | $ | +4.76%  | ||
| |  PIVX PIVX | $ | +4.43%  | ||
| |  Cloud CLOUD | $ | +4.35%  | ||
| |  Waves WAVES | $ | +3.91%  | ||
| All gainers | |||||
What is a staking coin?
A staking coin is the native asset of a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain that holders lock—delegate or self-bond—to participate in consensus, validate transactions, and earn token rewards.
Instead of mining with hardware, stakers provide capital; the network mints new blocks and pays inflationary or fee-based yields to honest validators.
Ethereum’s switch to PoS (“The Merge”) made staking mainstream, while chains like Solana, Cardano and Polkadot have paid 6-30 % APR for years.
Quick Facts
- Purpose: Secure chain, validate blocks, earn passive yield, govern protocol.
- Consensus: Proof-of-Stake, Delegated PoS, Nominated PoS, Liquid PoS.
- Entry barrier: 0.1-32 ETH for delegation; 1-10 k+ tokens to run a validator.
- Lock-up: 1-28 days unbonding typical; Ethereum ~1-5 days via exit queue.
- Risk: Slashing 1-100 % of stake for double-sign or downtime; smart-contract risk for liquid-staking tokens.
Top Staking Coins (Live Examples)
| Coin | Ticker | Avg. Nominal APR | Chain Type | 2024 Staked Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | ETH | 3.2 % | PoS / 32 ETH validator | $110 B |
| Solana | SOL | 6.5 % | Delegated PoS | $68 B |
| Cardano | ADA | 4.1 % | Ouroboros PoS | $12 B |
| Polkadot | DOT | 14 % | Nominated PoS | $8 B |
| Avalanche | AVAX | 8 % | PoS / subnet staking | $6 B |
| Cosmos | ATOM | 10-19 % | Tendermint BPoS | $2.5 B |
| Polygon | MATIC | 4.5 % | Heimdall PoS | $3 B |
| Pocketcoin | PKOIN | 30 % | Bastyon side-chain | <$50 M |
How It Works
- Acquire PoS coin (ETH, ADA, SOL, etc.).
- Delegate to public validator or run your own node.
- Stake locks coins in a smart contract or on-chain bond.
- Network selects validator to propose / attest blocks; probability ∝ stake.
- Rewards auto-compound; can be claimed or restaked; slashing penalises misbehaviour.
Benefits
- Passive yield – 3-30 % APR without selling underlying asset.
- Energy efficient – 99 %+ lower power use vs Proof-of-Work.
- Low hardware cost – consumer laptop + 32 ETH instead of mining farm.
- Governance weight – staked balance often equals voting power in DAOs.
- Liquid staking – receive tradable derivative (stETH, stSOL) to deploy in DeFi while earning.
Risks & Trade-offs
- Slashing – 1-100 % loss for double-sign; 0.1-5 % for prolonged downtime.
- Lock-up periods – unbonding windows (1-28 days) prevent quick exit during crashes.
- Inflation dilution – high APR may still lag token supply growth → real yield negative.
- Validator risk – delegating to jailed or malicious node can cost you rewards.
- Smart-contract bugs – liquid-staking tokens (Lido, RocketPool) add extra code layer.
- Regulatory grey – ETH staking ETFs approved, but solo-node income taxation still unclear in many jurisdictions.
Final Thoughts
Staking turns idle coins into yield-bearing assets while securing the network you believe in.
Real returns depend on issuance rate, fee burn, and token price; always net-out inflation and slashing risk.
Use liquid-staking derivatives for DeFi composability, but keep a mental note of the extra smart-contract layer—and never stake more than you can afford to see slashed.