Liquid staking protocol Lido and blockchain infrastructure provider Stakely announced two ETH staking products built on stVaults, Lido’s modular staking infrastructure: a public staking vault and dedicated, non-custodial vaults for institutions. The announcement was made on September 9, 2026.

The public vault is open to all users and combines ETH staking with EarnETH, Lido’s ETH DeFi strategy. Participants deposit ETH through Stakely’s branded interface and receive an ERC-20 token representing their share of the vault. The deposited ETH is staked, while the DeFi Wrapper, Lido’s toolkit for end-user staking products, automatically mints stETH against the staked assets and deposits it into EarnETH. The strategy allocates funds across a curated set of established DeFi protocols to generate additional rewards, allowing participants to hold a single position without directly handling stETH.

Stakely notes that DeFi strategies carry risks beyond plain staking and advises participants to review the product terms before joining.

Stakely has operated validators since 2020, with infrastructure distributed across Europe. It is a Lido curated Node Operator and an identified operator for stVaults under the Basic Operator category. For both products, Stakely remains responsible for validator monitoring, performance management, and operational overhead.

Built on stVaults: the @Stakely_io public staking vault. Public ETH staking with Stakely, now live: pic.twitter.com/WvVGjPr8VF — Lido (@LidoFinance) September 9, 2026

Institutional Vaults Offer Customization Without Custody

The second product is a dedicated institutional vault for asset managers, treasuries, platforms, custodians, and ETF or ETP issuers. Each client keeps its ETH segregated and defines its own vault configuration, including fee terms, operating permissions, liquidity design, and technical parameters.

Institutions select Stakely as their node operator while retaining their own custody model and controls. The arrangement is non-custodial: Stakely runs the validators but does not act as a custodian of institutional assets. On-chain attribution links each position to a specific vault, operator, and parameter set, supporting clearer reporting and review. This structure gives institutions separate control over custody, validator operations, and vault settings rather than requiring them to use one pooled configuration.

The launch addresses a long-standing tradeoff between native and pooled staking. Direct ETH staking provides operator selection and potentially stronger validator outcomes, but capital remains illiquid because withdrawals must clear the Ethereum exit queue. During periods of increased exits, that process can stretch to weeks.

Traditional liquid staking provides immediate liquidity but removes operator choice and averages validator performance across a broad pool. By enabling stETH to be minted against assets held in staking vaults, stVaults allow stakers to retain stETH liquidity while maintaining control over validator selection and attribution.

Lido stated that the stVaults smart contracts have undergone audits by Certora, including formal verification, as well as MixBytes, Consensys Diligence, Composable Security, Ackee Blockchain, and Sigma Prime. An ongoing Immunefi bug bounty offers rewards of up to $2 million.

Stakely also holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications, has Staking Rewards AAA verification, and operates a Staking Insurance Program that reimburses eligible slashing losses, subject to the program’s terms. Both companies note that these measures reduce but do not eliminate underlying protocol and market risks.

Web UI support for vault-owner actions such as rebalancing and vault closure is expected in the second half of 2026.

Source: Metaverse Post