Staking

What is Staking in Crypto – Benefits and Risks of Staking Crypto

Advanced crypto users are going for crypto staking which is one of the most used and convenient ways of collecting cryptocurrencies. Crypto staking is a way of earning passive income by staking crypto. Scroll down to learn more about what crypto staking is and how it works.

What Is Staking in Crypto?

Staking is a process that allows users to perform validation transactions on a blockchain network and store data on a blockchain database. It is a procedure of locking up or holding cryptocurrencies to earn interest or gain rewards for delegating their tokens. All these validations are called proof-of-stake (PoS) which confirm the addition of processing transactions on the blockchain network.

How The Crypto Staking Works?

Crypto staking works the same way saving account works. You lock up (kind of investment) your money and in return, you earn profit every month from the bank. Staking in crypto works by delegating the tokens which are to be selected for validation on the blockchain network. The network randomly selects the customer as a validator - who validates the transactions block to the blockchain.

Moreover, the one with more tokens has a high chance of becoming a validator. Not only this, the selected candidate has been rewarded for transactions in the form of the chain’s native cryptocurrency. However, if the validator proves to be unreliable then the blockchain imposes a penalty, which causes the loss of all the stakes of the validators and even the loss of their position on a network.

What Are the Variations of Crypto Staking?

Proof of Stake (PoS) is the main consensus mechanism used the crypto staking. It allows the validator to choose and stake transactions or create blocks based on the following parameters as size of stakes, and the longevity of validator stakes.

It has 2 variations:

  • Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) - It allows the average users to envoy their coins to a trustworthy validator which further on their behalf creates new blocks and receives a portion of the reward as well.
  • Nominated Proof of Stake (NPos) - It boosts up the stakeholders to vote for their trusty validators for transactions and each nominee will share a portion of rewards.

What Cryptocurrencies One Can Stake?

The cryptocurrency a user can stake is:

  • Ethereum 2.0 (ETH2)
  • Polkadot (DOT)
  • Cardano (ADA)
  • Avalanche (AVAX)
  • Solana (SOL)
  • Luna (LUNA)

What Are the Benefits of Crypto Staking?

The following are the pros of staking:

  • It provides earning opportunities.
  • It provides adequate resources for staking cryptocurrency.
  • It presents a better case with a limited environmental impact on a crypto adaptation.
  • It allows the users to verify the transactions in the blockchain networks.
  • It provides highly secure storage of cryptocurrency.

What Are the Risks of Crypto Staking?

Crypto staking has some risks that a user should be careful about:

  • It has high volatility of crypto prices.
  • If the user forgets the key, then the assets will be locked completely.
  • One should lose control of their assets if unstacking of the crypto assets emerges.
  • Crypto staking costs additional fees if a user needs to choose an exchange for staking.

Conclusion

Staking is a way for a customer to validate the blockchain networks and in return receive the reward of cryptocurrency. It is a very efficient way that allows the crypto user to earn more than the number of their stacked coins, though staking poses a risk of locking up the assets which do not allow the holder to trade anymore. Despite it being one of the best methods to invest and earn more and explore a new avenue with your financial assets.

About the author

Kevin R

Trade with Binance.US