SSV Staking
4/29/26
cSSV Genesis Boost is live
SSV Staking is now live with boosted rewards. SSV holders can stake SSV, receive cSSV, and take a position in the largest distributed validator network on Ethereum with some extra rewards till May 29, 2026.
Staking SSV is an innovative way to participate in the network that secures almost a fifth of Ethereum.
What does it mean?
SSV Network secures 7.4Mn ETH across roughly 110K+ validators run by around 1,900+ globally distributed node operators. That infrastructure has been running for years, audited continuously, used by leading staking protocols and institutional stakers.
With the upgrade, SSV evolves from a simple utility and governance token into an active participant in the protocol's automated incentive layer.
Real validator activity on the network produces real protocol fees. Those fees are now accounted for in ETH and routed back to the people backing the network through the staking layer. SSV Staking is the mechanism that connects SSV with the network activity.
The mechanism is on-chain and transparent. It pays in ETH, the asset Ethereum validators actually run on. It preserves full governance weight. It does not depend on emissions or campaigns to function.
What changed under the hood?
A new oracle layer makes that accounting possible on-chain
A dedicated set of Effective Balance Oracles brings consensus-layer balance data on-chain. In the initial phase, the oracle set is DAO-elected (Kraken, InfStones, Ethernodes and SSV Labs). SSV stakers delegate voting power toward the selection of these oracles, with permissionless, stake-weighted selection planned as the system matures.
Accounting now follows effective balance
Ethereum's post-Pectra validator model means a single validator can represent up to 2,048 ETH of stake. SSV's upgraded accounting tracks each cluster's actual effective balance, so fees scale with the stake being secured rather than the count of validator keys.
Fees moved from SSV to ETH
Network and operator fees are now denominated in ETH. The network settles in the same asset the validators earn in, removing the cross-asset friction that came from running an ETH-native business on SSV-denominated fees.
What is cSSV?
When you stake SSV, you receive cSSV at a 1:1 ratio. cSSV is the on-chain representation of your staked position. ETH rewards accrue to the wallet holding it. You can claim them at any time without unstaking. If staked, the governance weight stays with the wallet holding cSSV.
cSSV is a standard ERC-20, so it is transferable. The DeFi side of that, collateral, vault integrations, structured products, will be pursued by the DAO soon. For now cSSV represents participation in the security and economic layer of the network.
cSSV Genesis Boost
cSSV Genesis Boost is your golden opportunity into the SSV Staking era. It recognizes early adoption and support for users, entering the SSV Staking era.
Genesis Boost is a limited period reward boost of up to 50% over the regular ETH-rewards. These boosted rewards are paid in SSV.
The Boost Period starts on April 29, 2026, 12 PM UTC. And runs till May 29, 2026, 12 PM UTC or until the $75,000 SSV reward pool is exhausted, whichever comes first.
On April 22, 2026, 12 PM UTC, a snapshot of all SSV holders had already been taken. Wallets that held SSV at that moment are recognized as OG holders for Genesis Boost. Wallets that started holding SSV after the snapshot still qualify as new holders by meeting the staking conditions during the Boost Period.
You can check your eligibility on our official checker.
To qualify for rewards, you need to stake at least 50 SSV on mainnet during the Boost Period through the official SSV Staking dApp. Keep cSSV in that same wallet for 90 days after the Boost Period ends.
A few things worth knowing. You can claim your ETH rewards at any time without affecting your boost eligibility. Staking more SSV during the Boost Period does not make the wallet ineligible, though the applicable boost band depends on the total qualifying stake. Unstaking or transferring cSSV out of the staking wallet before the 90-day lock ends will forfeit the boost.
Read more details about the cSSV Genesis Boost in our announcement blog
cSSV Genesis Boost terms & conditions
Get started
Stake SSV at stake.ssv.network.
Cluster owners running on the legacy SSV-denominated model need to migrate to ETH-based fees to continue active management. Full instructions are in the migration guide.
This is the start of a longer arc with unique incentives that are rooted in the network's activity.
The SSV Staking era is here.
