Lido is a decentralized protocol that makes staking on proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains simple and liquid. Instead of locking up ETH or other tokens in staking contracts and losing access to your funds, Lido lets you stake and receive liquid staked tokens (like stETH) in return. These tokens represent your staked assets and accrue rewards, while remaining usable across DeFi—letting you earn yield and participate in the broader ecosystem at the same time. With support for Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, and more, Lido has become the dominant staking solution in web3.
When you stake ETH through Lido, you receive stETH, a tokenized version of staked ETH that reflects your original deposit plus accrued rewards. stETH is freely transferable and usable in DeFi protocols like Aave, Curve, or Balancer—so you’re not just earning staking rewards, you can also lend, borrow, or provide liquidity with your staked assets. Lido runs a validator set selected and governed by the DAO, ensuring secure and distributed staking. The same model applies to other chains like Solana (stSOL) and Polygon (stMATIC), giving users broad flexibility across networks.
By removing the 32 ETH minimum and technical hurdles of solo staking, Lido makes it easy for anyone to participate in network security. This democratization of staking increases decentralization and helps secure the Ethereum network. Liquid staking also means capital efficiency—you don’t have to choose between securing the chain and participating in DeFi. For institutions, DAOs, and retail users alike, Lido offers a seamless way to put idle assets to work, contributing to both protocol health and personal yield generation.
By removing the 32 ETH minimum and technical hurdles of solo staking, Lido makes it easy for anyone to participate in network security. This democratization of staking increases decentralization and helps secure the Ethereum network. Liquid staking also means capital efficiency—you don’t have to choose between securing the chain and participating in DeFi. For institutions, DAOs, and retail users alike, Lido offers a seamless way to put idle assets to work, contributing to both protocol health and personal yield generation.
$LDO is the native utility and governance token of the Lido protocol. Holders of LDO vote on key protocol decisions, including validator onboarding, fee parameters, protocol upgrades, and treasury allocations. This decentralized structure ensures Lido remains governed by its community rather than a centralized team. While LDO itself isn’t a staking token, it’s essential for shaping the future of Lido and aligning incentives between users, validators, and developers. The supply of LDO is capped at 1 billion tokens, with allocations to early backers, the DAO treasury, and contributors.
Lido’s roadmap focuses on enhancing decentralization, improving validator diversity, and adapting to Ethereum’s evolving infrastructure. With Ethereum’s shift to staking-centric security models (like restaking via EigenLayer), Lido aims to remain the most flexible and composable staking solution. Upcoming features include staking router upgrades, support for more networks, and deep integrations with emerging L2s. As the liquid staking landscape matures, Lido’s position as a middleware layer between stakers and validators will be increasingly critical—and governed entirely by the holders of LDO.
