#1
Firmachain
FCThigh riskDeFiAPY
79.45%
Market Cap
$14.4M
Total Staked
$4.3M
Min Stake
None
Firmachain offers 79.45% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Firmachain network.
Best DeFi Staking Protocols 2026
Live data59 assets ranked
DeFi staking protocols offer some of the highest yields in crypto by combining native staking rewards with additional protocol incentives. These protocols operate entirely on-chain, giving you full custody of your assets while earning yield.
The DeFi staking landscape in 2026 includes restaking protocols, yield aggregators, and cross-chain staking platforms. Yields tend to be higher than native staking because you are compensated for additional risk and protocol participation.
Higher returns come with higher complexity and risk. Smart contract bugs, governance attacks, and liquidity issues are all real concerns. We rank DeFi staking protocols by APY while clearly flagging risk levels so you can make informed decisions.
Our Ranking Criteria
How we selected these assets
- DeFi staking protocol with audited smart contracts and active bug bounty program
- Current APY as the primary ranking factor for yield-seeking users
- Total value locked as a signal of community trust and protocol maturity
- Clear risk profile including smart contract risk, governance risk, and liquidity risk
Rankings
Best DeFi Staking Protocols 2026 — Live Rankings
#2
Lava Network
LAVAhigh riskDeFiAPY
65.78%
Market Cap
$16.5M
Total Staked
$4.4M
Min Stake
None
Lava Network offers 65.78% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Lava Network network.
#3
AtomOne
ATONEhigh riskDeFiAPY
60.05%
Market Cap
$41.0M
Total Staked
$11.6M
Min Stake
None
AtomOne offers 60.05% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the AtomOne network.
#4
Medibloc
MEDhigh riskDeFiAPY
48.40%
Market Cap
$23.2M
Total Staked
$7.0M
Min Stake
None
Medibloc offers 48.40% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Medibloc network.
#5
Hippo Protocol
HPhigh riskDeFiAPY
44.54%
Market Cap
$20.4M
Total Staked
$6.1M
Min Stake
None
Hippo Protocol offers 44.54% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Hippo Protocol network.
#6
MANTRA
MANTRAhigh riskDeFiAPY
29.53%
Market Cap
$51.4M
Total Staked
$15.4M
Min Stake
None
MANTRA offers 29.53% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the MANTRA network.
#7
Shentu
CTKhigh riskDeFiAPY
27.75%
Market Cap
$27.4M
Total Staked
$8.0M
Min Stake
None
Shentu offers 27.75% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Shentu network.
#8
Ethena
ENAmedium riskDeFiAPY
25.00%
Market Cap
$837.5M
Total Staked
$229.4M
Min Stake
0.01 ENA
Ethena offers 25.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#9
Humans.ai
HEARThigh riskDeFiAPY
23.22%
Market Cap
$3.8M
Total Staked
$1.2M
Min Stake
None
Humans.ai offers 23.22% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Humans.ai network.
#10
Stake DAO FXN
SDFXNhigh riskDeFiAPY
23.05%
Market Cap
$358.9K
Total Staked
$113.5K
Min Stake
None
Stake DAO FXN offers 23.05% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Stake DAO FXN network.
#11
Re Protocol reUSDe
REUSDEhigh riskDeFiAPY
20.21%
Market Cap
$17.1M
Total Staked
$5.1M
Min Stake
None
Re Protocol reUSDe offers 20.21% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Re Protocol reUSDe network.
#12
Hyperliquid
HYPEhigh riskDeFiAPY
20.00%
Market Cap
$9.8B
Total Staked
$2.8B
Min Stake
1 HYPE
Hyperliquid offers 20.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Hyperliquid network.
#13
Pendle
PENDLEmedium riskDeFiAPY
20.00%
Market Cap
$175.7M
Total Staked
$51.7M
Min Stake
0.01 PENDLE
Pendle offers 20.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#14
Fuel Network
FUELhigh riskDeFiAPY
20.00%
Market Cap
$7.4M
Total Staked
$2.2M
Min Stake
None
Fuel Network offers 20.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Fuel Network network.
#15
Core
COREhigh riskDeFiAPY
15.29%
Market Cap
$29.2M
Total Staked
$9.1M
Min Stake
None
Core offers 15.29% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Core network.
#16
Oraichain
ORAIhigh riskDeFiAPY
14.19%
Market Cap
$8.8M
Total Staked
$2.7M
Min Stake
None
Oraichain offers 14.19% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Oraichain network.
#17
GMX
GMXmedium riskDeFiAPY
14.00%
Market Cap
$59.5M
Total Staked
$17.9M
Min Stake
0.01 GMX
GMX offers 14.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Arbitrum network.
#18
Saga
SAGAhigh riskDeFiAPY
12.28%
Market Cap
$10.5M
Total Staked
$3.2M
Min Stake
None
Saga offers 12.28% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Saga network.
#19
Raydium
RAYmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$170.3M
Total Staked
$50.3M
Min Stake
0.01 RAY
Raydium offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Solana network.
#20
Livepeer
LPTmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$99.8M
Total Staked
$29.9M
Min Stake
0.1 LPT
Livepeer offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#21
Djed
DJEDhigh riskDeFiAPY
11.69%
Market Cap
$4.0M
Total Staked
$1.2M
Min Stake
None
Djed offers 11.69% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Djed network.
#22
XION
XIONhigh riskDeFiAPY
11.08%
Market Cap
$8.2M
Total Staked
$2.5M
Min Stake
None
XION offers 11.08% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the XION network.
#23
tx
TXhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.12%
Market Cap
$37.8M
Total Staked
$11.2M
Min Stake
None
tx offers 10.12% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the tx network.
#24
Bedrock
BRhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$29.7M
Total Staked
$9.0M
Min Stake
None
Bedrock offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Bedrock network.
#25
Stake DAO
SDThigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$10.2M
Total Staked
$3.1M
Min Stake
None
Stake DAO offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Stake DAO network.
#26
Treehouse
TREEhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$9.3M
Total Staked
$2.8M
Min Stake
None
Treehouse offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Treehouse network.
#27
Hipo Governance Token
HPOhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$1.8M
Total Staked
$528.9K
Min Stake
None
Hipo Governance Token offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Hipo Governance Token network.
#28
Looping Collective
LOOPhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$1.0M
Total Staked
$291.8K
Min Stake
None
Looping Collective offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Looping Collective network.
#29
bAlpha
BALPHAhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$37.5K
Total Staked
$11.2K
Min Stake
None
bAlpha offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the bAlpha network.
#30
Blaze
BLZEhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
None
Blaze offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Blaze network.
#31
Venom
VENOMhigh riskDeFiAPY
9.70%
Market Cap
$44.7M
Total Staked
$14.1M
Min Stake
None
Venom offers 9.70% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Venom network.
#32
Re Protocol reUSD
REUSDmedium riskDeFiAPY
8.78%
Market Cap
$176.1M
Total Staked
$55.0M
Min Stake
None
Re Protocol reUSD offers 8.78% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Re Protocol reUSD network.
#33
Resupply USD
REUSDhigh riskDeFiAPY
8.78%
Market Cap
$35.7M
Total Staked
$10.7M
Min Stake
None
Resupply USD offers 8.78% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Resupply USD network.
#34
Curve DAO
CRVmedium riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$331.0M
Total Staked
$97.7M
Min Stake
1 CRV
Curve DAO offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#35
The Graph
GRTmedium riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$258.7M
Total Staked
$78.9M
Min Stake
100 GRT
The Graph offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#36
Starknet
STRKmedium riskDeFiAPY
7.13%
Market Cap
$194.8M
Total Staked
$56.6M
Min Stake
None
Starknet offers 7.13% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Starknet network.
#37
SEDA
SEDAhigh riskDeFiAPY
6.14%
Market Cap
$17.2M
Total Staked
$4.5M
Min Stake
None
SEDA offers 6.14% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the SEDA network.
#38
ZIGChain
ZIGhigh riskDeFiAPY
6.12%
Market Cap
$41.6M
Total Staked
$12.6M
Min Stake
None
ZIGChain offers 6.12% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the ZIGChain network.
#39
InfiniFi USD
IUSDmedium riskDeFiAPY
5.36%
Market Cap
$105.1M
Total Staked
$33.4M
Min Stake
None
InfiniFi USD offers 5.36% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the InfiniFi USD network.
#40
MegaUSD
USDMhigh riskDeFiAPY
5.10%
Market Cap
$61.8M
Total Staked
$18.6M
Min Stake
None
MegaUSD offers 5.10% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the MegaUSD network.
#41
Mento Dollar
USDMhigh riskDeFiAPY
5.10%
Market Cap
$14.8M
Total Staked
$4.4M
Min Stake
None
Mento Dollar offers 5.10% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Mento Dollar network.
#42
USDM
USDMhigh riskDeFiAPY
5.10%
Market Cap
$13.2M
Total Staked
$3.9M
Min Stake
None
USDM offers 5.10% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the USDM network.
#43
Aave
AAVElow riskDeFiAPY
5.00%
Market Cap
$1.4B
Total Staked
$412.7M
Min Stake
0.01 AAVE
Aave offers 5.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#44
Shido Network
SHIDOhigh riskDeFiAPY
4.94%
Market Cap
$3.2M
Total Staked
$976.8K
Min Stake
None
Shido Network offers 4.94% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Shido Network network.
#45
Chainlink
LINKlow riskDeFiAPY
4.50%
Market Cap
$6.5B
Total Staked
$1.9B
Min Stake
1 LINK
Chainlink offers 4.50% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#46
Uniswap
UNIlow riskDeFiAPY
4.00%
Market Cap
$2.0B
Total Staked
$587.5M
Min Stake
0.01 UNI
Uniswap offers 4.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#47
CHEQD Network
CHEQhigh riskDeFiAPY
3.96%
Market Cap
$3.0M
Total Staked
$885.8K
Min Stake
None
CHEQD Network offers 3.96% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the CHEQD Network network.
#48
USDa
USDAmedium riskDeFiAPY
3.62%
Market Cap
$217.2M
Total Staked
$65.2M
Min Stake
None
USDa offers 3.62% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the USDa network.
#49
USDA
USDAhigh riskDeFiAPY
3.62%
Market Cap
$88.2M
Total Staked
$26.5M
Min Stake
None
USDA offers 3.62% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the USDA network.
#50
Anzens USDA
USDAhigh riskDeFiAPY
3.62%
Market Cap
$10.1M
Total Staked
$3.0M
Min Stake
None
Anzens USDA offers 3.62% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Anzens USDA network.
#51
ARPA
ARPAhigh riskDeFiAPY
3.43%
Market Cap
$9.3M
Total Staked
$2.8M
Min Stake
None
ARPA offers 3.43% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the ARPA network.
#52
Arbitrum
ARBlow riskDeFiAPY
3.00%
Market Cap
$658.3M
Total Staked
$184.7M
Min Stake
0.01 ARB
Arbitrum offers 3.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Arbitrum network.
#53
Optimism
OPlow riskDeFiAPY
3.00%
Market Cap
$244.4M
Total Staked
$72.8M
Min Stake
0.01 OP
Optimism offers 3.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Optimism network.
#54
Compound
COMPlow riskDeFiAPY
3.00%
Market Cap
$210.8M
Total Staked
$53.4M
Min Stake
0.01 COMP
Compound offers 3.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#55
dYdX
DYDXhigh riskDeFiAPY
2.90%
Market Cap
$79.5M
Total Staked
$24.9M
Min Stake
None
dYdX offers 2.90% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the dYdX network.
#56
f(x) USD Saving
FXSAVEhigh riskDeFiAPY
2.52%
Market Cap
$31.1M
Total Staked
$9.3M
Min Stake
None
f(x) USD Saving offers 2.52% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the f(x) USD Saving network.
#57
Hedera
HBARmedium riskDeFiAPY
2.26%
Market Cap
$3.8B
Total Staked
$1.2B
Min Stake
None
Hedera offers 2.26% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Hedera network.
#58
Osmosis
OSMOmedium riskDeFiAPY
1.65%
Market Cap
$24.4M
Total Staked
$8.6M
Min Stake
0.01 OSMO
Osmosis offers 1.65% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Osmosis network.
#59
Midnight
NIGHTmedium riskDeFiAPY
0.00%
Market Cap
$680.1M
Total Staked
$201.2M
Min Stake
None
Midnight offers 0.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Midnight network.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DeFi staking?
DeFi staking involves depositing crypto into decentralized protocols to earn yield. Unlike native staking which secures a blockchain, DeFi staking can include liquidity provision, yield farming, and restaking. Yields are typically higher but so are the risks.
Is DeFi staking safe?
DeFi staking carries more risk than native staking due to smart contract vulnerabilities, protocol-specific risks, and potential governance attacks. Using well-audited protocols with large TVL and active bug bounty programs reduces but does not eliminate these risks.
What APY can I expect from DeFi staking in 2026?
DeFi staking APYs in 2026 range from 5% to 20%+ depending on the protocol and strategy complexity. Simple single-asset staking offers lower yields, while multi-layer strategies like restaking or LP staking can offer significantly higher returns with added risk.
How is DeFi staking different from regular staking?
Regular (native) staking secures a blockchain's consensus mechanism. DeFi staking uses smart contracts to generate yield through various strategies like lending, liquidity provision, or restaking. DeFi staking offers more flexibility and often higher yields, but adds smart contract risk.
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