What is staking?

Staking is a way to earn rewards by putting your crypto to work on a blockchain network. In return for helping the network run smoothly and securely, you receive more of the cryptocurrency you're staking. The rewards come from the network itself—your crypto isn’t being lent out. It’s a safe, simple and popular way to grow your crypto while holding.

The biggest benefit of staking is earning rewards. Rather than letting your crypto sit unused, staking allows you to grow your crypto over time while contributing to the blockchain’s security.

How much you earn and how often you receive payouts will depend on which cryptocurrency you stake. The most common networks users stake with are Ethereum and Solana. To see the latest rewards rates for eligible staking assets go here or check your Coinbase account.

Many blockchain networks use a decentralized group of validators and asset holders to verify and process crypto transactions, instead of relying on centralized intermediaries like banks. As a reward for temporarily delegating their assets to the blockchain networks, these asset owners and validators earn crypto through network rewards and fees directly from the networks.

When you stake on Coinbase, Coinbase handles the validation process, pooling your staked coins with others and distributing network rewards to you. To learn more about how staking on Coinbase works, visit our Help Center. 

Although it’s unlikely, there is a possibility you could lose your staked assets due to a network or validator failure. However, no customer has lost crypto staking with Coinbase. As a publicly traded, audited company, Coinbase is committed to compliance with both regulators and the rules of the networks on which it stakes.

Yes, you can request to unstake anytime. Depending on the specific cryptocurrency, there may be a waiting period while your crypto is fully unstaked before you can withdraw your staked assets. You also may not be able to send your assets immediately while they are being unstaked.

For some assets, there is a waiting period before you can start earning rewards when you stake. Similarly, when you decide to unstake there may be a cooldown period during which you won't earn rewards. This could take from a few minutes to several weeks, depending on the asset. Coinbase displays the estimated withdrawal time when you stake your assets.

If you are new to Coinbase, you will need to create your account, purchase or transfer in eligible staking assets, and then opt in to stake. If you are an existing customer, go to your assets page to stake any eligible assets you already hold or buy eligible assets and opt in to staking. 

Staking is a safe way to earn rewards on your crypto while you hold. Start staking today to grow your assets with confidence!