Bitcoin
Bitcoin doesn't have native staking. Liquid staking and DeFi alternatives further down still let you earn yield.
Bitcoin uses Proof-of-Work — there is nothing to stake natively. See DeFi alternatives below.
Earn yield · DeFi options
How to earn yield on
Since Bitcoin doesn't have native staking, the way to earn on is through DeFi pools — either by lending it, providing liquidity, or wrapping it onto a chain that does support staking. DeFi adds smart-contract and (for LP) impermanent-loss risk.
2 pools
| Pool | Protocol | Type | Yield | Pool size ↓ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
thorchain-dex - BTC-RUNE
BTC · RUNE
|
TH Thorchain Dex | lp | 0.0% | $35.2Million | → |
|
chainflip-lending - BTC
BTC
|
CH Chainflip Lending | lending | 0.0% | $14.4Thousand | → |
Apps on this chain · ranked by value held
What's running on Bitcoin
Each protocol is a separate app. Lenders let you earn interest on what you deposit; DEXes let people swap tokens; liquid-staking apps give you a tradeable receipt for your staked coin. Tap any to see how to use it.
26 apps tracked
| App | Category | Chains | Best reward rate | Value held on Bitcoin ↓ | Yield options | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA Babylon Protocol babylon-protocol | Liquid staking | 1 | — | $4.11Billion | — | → |
| LO Lombard Lbtc lombard-lbtc | Restaked btc | 1 | — | $804Million | — | → |
| TB tBTC tbtc | Decentralized btc | 1 | — | $429Million | — | → |
| LI Lightning Network lightning-network | Payments | 1 | — | $396Million | — | → |
| B2 B2 Buzz b2-buzz | Canonical bridge | 1 | — | $295Million | — | → |
| B1 B14g b14g | Liquid staking | 2 | 0.12% | $257Million | 1 | → |
| GT GTBTC gtbtc | Restaked btc | 1 | — | $243Million | — | → |
| BE Bedrock uniBTC bedrock-unibtc | Anchor btc | 4 | — | $136Million | — | → |
| BI Bitlayer YBTC Family bitlayer-ybtc-family | Anchor btc | 1 | — | $115Million | — | → |
| AI AILayer farm ailayer-farm | Yield | 1 | — | $84.6Million | — | → |
| VI Vishwa vishwa | Anchor btc | 1 | — | $75.1Million | — | → |
| SO SoSoValue Indexes sosovalue-indexes | Indexes | 7 | — | $30Million | — | → |
| TH Thorchain Dex thorchain-dex | DEX & liquidity | 5 | — | $17.6Million | — | → |
| CH Chain Fusion chain-fusion | Decentralized btc | 2 | — | $16.6Million | — | → |
| NE NEAR Intents near-intents | Cross chain bridge | 7 | — | $12.6Million | — | → |
| TE Templar Protocol templar-protocol | Lending | 3 | — | $9.78Million | — | → |
| BT Btcfi Cdp btcfi-cdp | Stablecoin debt | 2 | — | $8.72Million | — | → |
| ZE Zeus Network zeus-network | Decentralized btc | 1 | — | $8.22Million | — | → |
| LO Lorenzo stBTC lorenzo-stbtc | Restaked btc | 1 | — | $8.12Million | — | → |
| SO SolvBTC LSTs solvbtc-lsts | Restaked btc | 2 | — | $8.1Million | — | → |
| BO Botanix Bridge botanix-bridge | Canonical bridge | 1 | — | $5.73Million | — | → |
| BI BIMA CDP bima-cdp | Stablecoin debt | 1 | — | $5.19Million | — | → |
| MA Maya Protocol maya-protocol | Cross chain bridge | 1 | — | $2.37Million | — | → |
| YA Yala yala | Stablecoin debt | 1 | — | $2.34Million | — | → |
| HO HOPE Collateral hope-collateral | Basis trading | 1 | — | $1.64Million | — | → |
| SY Symbiosis symbiosis | Lending | 5 | — | $1.13Million | — | → |
Read up before you stake
Background reading on Bitcoin staking
Guide
What is staking?
The plain-English version: how locking your tokens earns you new tokens, and why the network pays you to do it.
Read the guide →
Guide
How blockchains differ from each other
Why Solana, Ethereum, and Cosmos chains pay different rates and why their security models differ.
Read the guide →
Guide
What does a validator actually do?
Validators run the chain. Pick a healthy one and your rewards arrive on schedule; pick a bad one and you can lose part of your stake.
Read the guide →
Frequently asked
What people ask about Bitcoin staking
What does staking on Bitcoin mean?
+
Staking on Bitcoin means locking your with a validator that helps run the network. In return, the network pays you a share of newly created tokens — similar to how a savings account pays interest, but the rate is set by the protocol, not a bank.
How much can I earn?
+
Right now the top validators on Bitcoin pay varies by validator per year, after their commission. The rate moves with the chain's inflation schedule and how much of the supply is staked overall.
Is staking safe?
+
Your tokens stay in your wallet — you never hand them over. The two real risks are slashing (the network can shrink your balance if your validator misbehaves, which is rare) and lock-up (you can't sell instantly during the unbonding period). Pick a validator with a track record and you sidestep most of the risk.
Can I unstake whenever I want?
+
Yes, but unstaking is not instant. Most chains have an unbonding period of a few days to a few weeks during which you don't earn rewards and can't sell. Liquid-staking tokens (like stETH for Ethereum) sidestep this by giving you a tradeable receipt token.
What wallet do I need?
+
Any non-custodial wallet that supports Bitcoin works — Phantom or Solflare for Solana, Keplr for Cosmos chains, MetaMask for Ethereum and EVM chains, Yoroi or Eternl for Cardano. Connect, choose a validator, click delegate. The whole flow takes a couple of minutes.
See also
Terms used on this page
-
Validator
A computer that processes transactions and votes on the blockchain's state. In return for keeping the network honest it collects fees and staking rewards.
-
Slashing
An automatic penalty where part of a validator's stake is destroyed for misbehaviour or extended downtime. Real risk for delegators too.
-
Unbonding Period
The waiting time after you unstake before tokens become liquid again. Ranges from minutes (Ethereum LSTs) to 21+ days (Cosmos chains).
-
Validator Commission
The fee a validator takes from staking rewards before passing the rest to delegators. Often 5–15%; lower means more of the reward reaches you.
-
Real Yield
Yield paid in revenue-bearing assets (ETH, USDC, fees) rather than newly minted protocol tokens. The non-inflationary part of the rate.