Key Takeaways:
- The launch of Lido V3 on Ethereum Mainnet has permitted stVaults to now run on stEth.
- You can stake on stVaults by creating a personalized, optional-liquidity staking method targeting organizations, node operators, as well as builders.
- Staking has now been enabled in products via Layer-2 networks, node operators and DeFi teams.
Lido V3 has been deployed to Ethereum mainnet and replaces one of the options of liquid staking with a modular system in Lido. It also unleashes stVaults, an exciting option that allows selecting any custom validator configuration but leaves stETH liquidity on call.
Lido V3 Expands Ethereum Staking Infrastructure
Lido V3 follows months of staged testing, public audits, and a controlled soft launch. The upgrade does not replace Lido’s core protocol. Rather than substituting it, it operates concurrently and extends the system to support many concurrent staking models.
At the center of V3, there are stVaults. These are isolated staking environments where vault owners define validator operators, operational rules, fees, and risk parameters. Unlike traditional pooled staking, stVaults allow customization without forcing users to give up liquidity or DeFi access.
Staked ETH in a vault can mint stETH, keeping positions usable across lending markets, collateral strategies, and liquidity pools. This structure allows diverse staking products to coexist while feeding into the same liquidity layer.
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Operator-Driven Staking Use Cases
The concept of the Northstake of using stVaults as a foundation to their Staking Vault Manager, which allows the institutions to stake in stVaults and operators, without their assets being combined. Solstice is launching traceable and yield-conservative compliance-centric vaults all connected to the stETH space.
A new dose of flexibility is given to the node operators. Instead of choosing between either a pooled or illiquid delegate model, they are able to initiate custom products on their own infrastructure. An example is P2P.org, which is designing specific stVaults that support custom policy and transparent reports of performance.
Read More: Fidelity Unveils “FIDD” Stablecoin, Entering the Ethereum Ecosystem
Strategy Design, DeFi Tooling, and L2 Integrations
stVaults as a Base Layer for Builders
Lido V3 opens up new capabilities to the strategies of staking. Loopy staking where rewards are compounded by lending markets, market-neutral structures where validation and risk management are separated, are already being experimented with by teams.
To reduce launch friction, Lido introduced the DeFi Wrapper toolkit. It includes smart contracts for pooled vaults, connectors to yield strategies, white-label interfaces, and custom ERC-20 vault tokens. Builders can ship products quickly or integrate their own strategies for specific markets. Layer-2 networks can also embed staking directly into user flows.
