Starknet achieved a significant milestone with the approval of SNIP 18: Staking’s First Stage on Starknet introducing native staking to the network. With an overwhelming 98.94% vote in favor, this proposal positions Starknet as the only L2 to support staking, marking a crucial step towards realizing it’s vision of a truly decentralized ecosystem.

The Importance of Staking

Staking is a fundamental mechanism for blockchains, offering benefits that extend beyond simple yield generation.

• Enhanced Network Security: Enables economic participation from token holders.

• Long-term Network Stability: Stakers are vital in block production, attestation, and proving.

• Community Engagement: Opens opportunities for participation and network growth.

Understanding Starknet's Staking Model

Starknet's implementation introduces a dual participation model that enhances decentralization and aligns network engagement with economic interests:

Participants:

• Validators: Run nodes with a minimum of 20,000 STRK, earning rewards from self-staked tokens and commissions on delegated funds.

• Delegators: Participate without running infrastructure by delegating any amount of STRK to existing validators.

Furthermore, integrating native staking also extends STRK's utility to being a gas fee token, governance token, and yield-generating staked asset.

Native Staking with Karnot: Empowering Starknet's Ecosystem

As Starknet's leading Rollup-as-a-Service provider and an active maintainer of Madara (a sequencer & mainnet-ready full node), Karnot offers a unique validator option that aligns closely with Starknet's vision of a decentralised ecosystem.

Key Features of Karnot's Validator:

1. 0% Commission: We intend to launch our validator without any commission allowing more value to flow back into the community.

   1. Our primary goal for offering staking isn't revenue generation, but to contribute toward strengthening the ecosystem and advancing Starknet's decentralized vision.

   2. Our projected roadmap doesn’t include changes to our zero commission policy, as we don’t see staking as a revenue source; we primarily offer RaaS services for the same. However, if there’s a change in this plan, you can be well assured that all delegators will be communicated well in advance. That’s a big if though :)

2. Ecosystem Focus: With nearly two years of experience in the Starknet space, the Karnot team is exclusively dedicated to building and innovating within the Starknet ecosystem. We're aware of multiple stakers and staking solutions launching on Starknet, including companies that offer services across various chains and ecosystems.

   1. While cross-chain experience has its merits, our focus on Starknet allows us to stay deeply engaged with the ecosystem's latest developments. This engagement is reflected in our up-to-date clients, new integrations, and optimized yield strategies.

3. Technical Expertise: The Karnot team collaborates with projects such as Kakarot and Pragma, running full nodes, sequencers, and core infrastructure support. Delegating with Karnot places your funds with Karnot’s secure, battle-tested infrastructure.

4. Governance Participation: We are actively involved in Starknet governance, community forums, and technical discussions. By staking with Karnot, you strengthen the voice of engaged stakeholders in Starknet's growth.

5. Dedicated Support: Our exclusive focus on the Starknet ecosystem ensures fast updates and 24/7 support for our nodes.

How to Stake with Karnot:

• Coming Soon: A user-friendly Karnot staking dashboard where you can:

  • Connect any compatible wallet containing STRK

  • Stake and manage your delegations

  • View validator details including identity, addresses, active stake, and commission percentage

Empowering Starknet's Future Through Staking

At Karnot, we strive to achieve Starknet’s vision of a decentralised integrity-focused ecosystem, your stake contributes to allowing Karnot’s development of crucial infrastructure for Starknet and its app chains.

To get started or learn more about staking with Karnot, visit our website or follow us on Twitter. Together, we can contribute to Starknet's decentralization and secure its future as a leading Layer 2 solution.