<h2>Common Traits Among the Already Launched Staking Projects</h2><ul><li>Composability: All projects are designed to integrate seamlessly into DeFi, enabling users to leverage staked assets for lending, farming, and collateralization.</li><li>Reward-Bearing Tokens: Moving away from rebased models, these protocols issue reward-bearing Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs/LRTs).</li><li>DAO Governance: Most projects are either DAO-governed or planning to introduce governance tokens, often airdropped to early/testnet participants.</li><li>Whitelisted Validators: Delegations are made to a curated set of high-performance, reliable validators.</li><li>Monad-Native: Each project is being built specifically for Monad, leveraging its architecture and performance features.</li></ul><h3>1. Magma – Liquid Staking Protocol&nbsp;(Live on Testnet)</h3>Magma is a DAO-owned liquid staking protocol that allows users to stake assets and receive gMON, a liquid staking token usable across DeFi.Key Features:<ul><li>Delegated Proof-of-Stake: Initial delegation to a whitelist of node operators, with plans to transition to Distributed Validator Technology.</li><li>gMON Utility: Enables participation in DeFi without sacrificing staking rewards.</li></ul><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:3110/1780;" src="https://tidy-ball-c49dc59f59.media.strapiapp.com/Captura_de_ecra_2025_04_17_as_12_23_20_c3ffa06793.png" alt="Captura de ecrã 2025-04-17, às 12.23.20.png" width="3110" height="1780"></figure><h3>2. Kintsu – Composable Liquid Staking Protocol&nbsp;(Live on Testnet)</h3>Kintsu enhances DeFi composability with its LST, allowing users to stake and retain liquidity.Key Features:<ul><li>Whitelisted Validators: Staked assets are secured by a vetted set of validators.</li><li>UX Transparency: Provides &nbsp;insights into staking performance and metrics as soon as you land in the homepage.</li></ul><img src="https://tidy-ball-c49dc59f59.media.strapiapp.com/Captura_de_ecra_2025_04_17_as_12_26_50_e539a962fc.png" alt="Captura de ecrã 2025-04-17, às 12.26.50.png" width="3110" height="1782"><h3>3. aPriori – MEV-Powered Liquid Staking&nbsp;(Live on Testnet)</h3>aPriori integrates MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) into its staking mechanism, maximizing returns for users.Key Features:<ul><li>MEV Rewards: Offers boosted staking yields through MEV strategies.</li><li>Highest Adoption: Leading the market in TVL and unique addresses.</li></ul><img src="https://tidy-ball-c49dc59f59.media.strapiapp.com/Captura_de_ecra_2025_04_17_as_12_31_03_66d29aee6f.png" alt="Captura de ecrã 2025-04-17, às 12.31.03.png" width="3110" height="1782"><h3>4. shMONAD – Super Holistic Liquid Staking Protocol&nbsp;(Live on Testnet)</h3>Developed by FastLane Labs, shMONAD focuses on staking security, MEV optimization, and blockchain resilience.Key Features:<ul><li>Productive MEV: FastLane’s node software enables new revenue streams for validators and apps.</li><li>Protocol Stress Testing: Incentivizes testnet participants to explore blockchain performance limits via frontrunning transaction.</li><li>Highest APY: Based on our research across all LSTs, shMONAD delivers the highest yield.</li></ul><img src="https://tidy-ball-c49dc59f59.media.strapiapp.com/Captura_de_ecra_2025_04_17_as_12_47_23_7746e061f3.png" alt="Captura de ecrã 2025-04-17, às 12.47.23.png" width="3110" height="1782"><h2>Upcoming Projects</h2><h3>Folks Finance – Omnichain Liquid Staking&nbsp;(Borrow/Lend Live – Staking Not Active Yet)</h3>Folks Finance will offer composable DeFi utility with deep liquidity with their different LSTs. As of now you can get very high APR on your MON tokens from lending (300+% APY at the time of writing).Key Features:<ul><li>Cross-Chain Liquidity: Assets can be deposited or borrowed across multiple chains seamlessly.</li></ul><img src="https://tidy-ball-c49dc59f59.media.strapiapp.com/Captura_de_ecra_2025_04_17_as_12_59_57_98f8066ca8.png" alt="Captura de ecrã 2025-04-17, às 12.59.57.png" width="3110" height="1782"><h3>Stonad – Community-First Liquid Staking&nbsp;(Announced, Not Yet Launched)</h3>Stonad's stMON aims to deliver a decentralized, community-owned staking solution for Monad.Key Features:<ul><li>No VC Influence: 100% community-focused with no venture capital involvement.</li><li>Governance-Backed LST: The LST doubles as a governance token, putting control in the hands of users.</li></ul><h3>Renzo Protocol – Restaking-Enhanced Liquidity&nbsp;(Not Yet Launched)</h3>Renzo is rumored to bring restaking and support for ezETH and ezSOL into Monad’s staking ecosystem.Key Features:<ul><li>Restaking: Auto-compounding and performance-optimized liquid restaking tokens (LRTs).</li><li>Liquidity Depth: Aims to offer strong integration and DeFi presence from day one.</li></ul><h2>Conclusion</h2>Monad's staking ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with protocols pushing the boundaries of composability, decentralization, and user rewards. These projects don’t just replicate what’s been done, they innovate within Monad’s high-performance framework. Whether it's MEV integration, DAO governance, or cross-chain liquidity, each protocol brings a distinct advantage to the table. As the network matures, these staking solutions are poised to become core pillars of Monad's DeFi landscape. Stay tuned.

Top 7 Staking Protocols Launching on Monad

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