Kiln

Institutional staking platform running multi-cloud validators across more than 30 PoS networks

Staking protocol No KYC Founded 2018 France
Visit kiln.fi
Our score
Good
Type Native stakingLiquid stakingRestakingStaking pool
Audited Yes

What is Kiln?

Kiln is an institutional digital asset staking and rewards infrastructure platform operating multi-cloud validators across more than 30 Proof-of-Stake blockchains. The platform allows institutions, custodians, and fintechs to offer native staking, liquid staking, and DeFi yield through APIs and dedicated validators.

Team and corporate history

Founded in 2018, Kiln is headquartered in Paris, France. The platform was created by Chief Executive Officer Laszlo Szabo, previously a co-founder of recruitment firm Skill Hunter; Chief Operating Officer Thomas de Phuoc, formerly Country Lead for France at Circle; and Chief Product Officer Ernest Oppetit. The company has raised $35 million in venture capital, including a $5 million round in May 2022 with participation from ConsenSys and Kraken, and a $17 million Series A round in January 2024 led by 1kx to fund international expansion.

Staking architecture and integration

Kiln operates an enterprise architecture designed around a bring-your-own-custodian model, integrating natively with custody providers like Fireblocks, Copper, and Ledger. This setup ensures that institutions retain full custody of private keys while delegating stakes. The platform supports native and dedicated staking on networks such as Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, Avalanche, Cosmos, Cardano, NEAR, and Sui. Kiln also offers pooled staking options, such as single-nominator and pooled contracts on The Open Network (GRAM) with a 10 TON minimum stake. Beyond direct staking, the Kiln Connect API and Kiln Widget allow platforms to embed staking and DeFi lending strategies across more than 12 protocols into existing user wallets.

Security and operating track record

Kiln holds an active SOC 2 Type II compliance certification audited by Insight Assurance, which was renewed with zero exceptions in June 2026. The platform also contributed infrastructure to the Liquid Collective enterprise liquid staking standard, with smart contracts audited by Halborn. The team has expanded support across multiple networks, deploying Canton Network co-validation in September 2026 and introducing HYPE staking via the Fireblocks console in October 2026.

Risks and considerations

Staking through Kiln exposes capital to traditional network-level slashing rules, unbonding delays, and protocol downtime penalties. While institutional users retain private keys, deploying through pooled smart contracts or DeFi lending vaults introduces smart contract and protocol layering risks. Kiln experienced an infrastructure incident requiring a coordinated validator exit, though user funds were kept protected.

Founders

Laszlo SzaboCEO & Co-founder
Ernest OppetitCPO & Co-founder
Thomas de PhuocCOO & Co-founder
Best for:Custodians and institutional asset managersWallets launching white-label Earn productsInstitutions requiring SOC 2 certified staking

Pros and cons

Pros

  • SOC 2 Type II certified infrastructure audited by Insight Assurance in June 2026
  • Integrates directly with enterprise custodians including Fireblocks and Ledger
  • Supports over 30 Proof-of-Stake blockchains from a unified API and dashboard
  • Allows direct non-custodial staking without relinquishing asset ownership

Cons

  • Targets institutions and enterprise developers rather than retail self-custody stakers
  • Exposes capital to protocol-specific unbonding queues and lockup periods
  • Experienced a past infrastructure issue that prompted an emergency validator exit

Our review

3.8/5
Good

Kiln delivers enterprise-grade multi-chain staking infrastructure and compliance reporting, but its enterprise-focused model offers less utility for retail stakers wanting liquid, highly composable DeFi tokens.

Yield3.5
Security4.5
Liquidity3.0
Decentralization3.5
Ease of use4.0

Kiln is an institutional staking and developer infrastructure platform founded in 2018 in Paris, France, by Laszlo Szabo and Thomas de Phuoc. The platform enables custodians, exchanges, asset managers, and retail wallets to deploy validators across more than 30 Proof-of-Stake networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Cosmos, Aptos, Cardano, and Near. Kiln provides dedicated validators and API tooling for partners such as Fireblocks and Ledger.

Security and institutional custody are central to Kiln's architecture. Stakers retain asset custody through integrations with platforms like Fireblocks and Copper. The company renewed its SOC 2 Type II certification with Insight Assurance in June 2026 and underwent smart contract audits with Halborn for its liquid staking developments. Kiln also operates on a multi-cloud, multi-client setup. While Kiln resolved an earlier infrastructure issue by initiating a validator exit to protect user funds, delegating through institutional validators still carries base slashing and client uptime dependencies.

Asset support spans native PoS delegation, Ethereum pooling contracts, and restaking workflows via protocols like EigenLayer and Babylon. On Ethereum, Kiln accommodates dedicated 32 ETH validators alongside pooled fractional staking. Reward rates reflect native network yields, such as 2.6% on Ethereum and 6.5% on Solana as of October 2026. Kiln offers liquid staking through frameworks such as Liquid Collective.

Kiln suits institutions and fintechs seeking non-custodial validator infrastructure with programmatic APIs and audit trails.

Listings are researched and drafted with AI assistance from public sources, then checked for accuracy and readability. Spot an error? Tell us. Editorial policy.
Sources (3)

Specs

KYC required ⓘ No · unverified
Type Native staking, Liquid staking, Restaking, Staking pool · unverified
Stakeable assets ETH, SOL, APT, ATOM, ALGO, AVAX, ADA, TIA, CRO, FET, FLR, IOTA, INJ, MON, NEAR, SEI, SUI, XTZ, TRX, BTC, GRAM · unverified
Chains Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, Cosmos, Avalanche, Tron, Sui, Bitcoin, Other · unverified
Node operators Kiln multi-cloud validator infrastructure · unverified
Audited Yes · unverified
Restaking Yes · unverified
Typical reward rate ⓘ 0% to 30% · unverified

Not disclosed by the provider: Receipt token, Protocol fee, Minimum stake, Withdrawal time, Slashing cover.

Data from the provider's website and public sources. Fees and availability change; confirm on the official site before you sign up.

Key features

Dedicated and pooled validators

Runs multi-cloud, multi-client validator infrastructure across more than 30 networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Cosmos, and Avalanche.

Bring your own custody

Enables staking delegation directly from custody accounts like Fireblocks, Copper, and Ledger without giving up key ownership.

White-label integration suite

Kiln Connect API and embeddable no-code widgets allow fintechs and wallets to integrate automated staking and reporting in their own apps.

Custom Ethereum staking

Supports dedicated 32 ETH node deployment, pooled validator contracts, and liquid staking configurations.

DeFi yield and lending aggregation

Aggregates vaults across more than 12 protocols to let asset managers deploy composable onchain strategies.

The Open Network staking

Provides pooled contracts starting at 10 TON alongside single-nominator pools requiring about 1 million GRAM.

Inside Kiln

Enterprise Dashboard

A capital management portal for tracking Earn programs, monitoring staking performance, generating compliance-ready audit reports, and managing portfolio rebalancing.

Validators

Enterprise-grade Validators-as-a-Service deployed across more than 30 Proof-of-Stake blockchains using multi-cloud and multi-client infrastructure.

Widget

A no-code embeddable interface that allows wallets, custodians, and fintechs to launch a white-label earn and staking experience directly inside their apps.

Onchain

Customizable, white-label Ethereum staking smart contracts that support dedicated validator nodes, pooled staking options, or liquid staking token configurations.

DeFi & Railnet

An open yield layer and lending vault aggregator supporting over a dozen protocols to let asset managers build composable onchain strategies.

Connect

A unified REST API and SDK for developers to automate validator deployments, reward reporting, and programmatic staking flows.

Restaking dApp

A permissionless 1-click decentralized application where users can stake and restake assets like Ethereum directly onchain.

Kiln screenshots

Kiln’s homepage presents institutional blockchain yield services with navigation, calls to action, and performance statistics
Kiln’s homepage presents institutional blockchain yield services with navigation, calls to action, and performance statistics · Oct 21, 2026
Docs: Kiln’s DeFi documentation page with navigation, explanatory text, and an integration diagram
Docs: Kiln’s DeFi documentation page with navigation, explanatory text, and an integration diagram · Oct 21, 2026
Enterprise Dashboard: Kiln Dashboard landing page describing institutional deployment and management of digital asset yield
Enterprise Dashboard: Kiln Dashboard landing page describing institutional deployment and management of digital asset yield · Oct 21, 2026

What users say about Kiln

User reports highlight phishing sites mimicking Kiln rather than issues with the platform itself.

Scam warning: Scam tokens redirect users to cloned phishing sites attempting to harvest wallet recovery seeds.

Based on 1 Reddit posts and comments from the last 12 months, checked Oct 21, 2026. These are posts by users on other sites, not reviews submitted on CryptoReview.

User reviews

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Funding and investors

$35MTotal raised
2Rounds
3Investors
  1. Series A Jan 2024 $17M
    Source
  2. Funding round May 2022 $5M

FAQ

Who founded Kiln?

Kiln was founded in 2018 by Laszlo Szabo, who serves as CEO, and Thomas de Phuoc, who serves as COO, alongside founding team member and CPO Ernest Oppetit. The company is headquartered in Paris, France.

Is Kiln non-custodial?

Kiln lets users and institutions retain custody of their private keys through third-party solutions like Fireblocks, Copper, or Ledger.

What chains does Kiln support for staking?

Kiln supports staking across more than 30 networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin via Babylon, Cosmos, Aptos, Avalanche, Cardano, Near, Tezos, and Tron.

Has Kiln experienced security incidents?

Kiln responded to a previous infrastructure issue by proactively triggering a validator exit to protect assets, resulting in no loss of user funds.

What is the minimum amount required to stake with Kiln?

Minimums depend on the asset and product tier. Dedicated Ethereum validators require 32 ETH, while pooled staking contracts allow fractional deposits, such as 10 TON for Gram network staking.

Latest from Kiln on X

Kiln 🧱🔥
@Kiln_finance · 11.9K followers
Follow
We’ll be at #SPARK26 by @FireblocksHQ in Barcelona, Nov 9–11 🇪🇸

@laszlo__szabo and Marco Severi will be there to talk about how platforms can offer staking and onchain yield.

Come say hi or DM us 👇 https://t.co/GUDhWHn41M
Image attached to the post
0 1 7 865 View on X
Ledger Wallet™ now supports @CantonNetwork 🟢

Kiln operates the second validator in a co-validation model with @Ledger. Both validators must confirm every transaction.

Keys came from an air-gapped ceremony, and Ledger’s recovery path is set out in the contract.

How it works 👇
https://t.co/yiWXsyyYNt
Image attached to the post
3 9 35 6.4K View on X
HYPE staking is now live with Kiln!

Stake your HYPE and start earning rewards while helping secure Hyperliquid.

Explore new opportunities, diversify your staking portfolio, and back the L1 built for high-performance onchain trading.

➡️ Start staking today with Kiln, supporting 30+ PoS networks: https://t.co/TwlMMelBN6
1 1 3 550 View on X
1/ @solana is at an inflection point: Alpenglow, its first binding governance votes, and record onchain activity.

Here's the State of Solana, October 2026 🧵 https://t.co/gptoB2KZz9
Image attached to the post
3 3 7 1K View on X
Staking ETH with Kiln is coming to Ledger Atom™ via @Ledger Wallet™. Earn rewards, keep your keys. Pre-order now 👇
1 1 10 1.1K View on X

Recent public posts from @Kiln_finance, shown as published. Not reviewed or endorsed by CryptoReview.

Latest from Kiln on Telegram

Kiln | News & Updates
@Kiln_finance · 278 subscribers
Join
Finance is moving onchain. But it's fragmented — everyone building in isolation, for themselves. 🧱

The missing layer is now live. 🚀

The Railnet App: One interface for institutions to access managed DeFi + RWA strategies, track every position, and stay audit-ready by default.

Powered by CoinShares and Monarq

🌐 Live today → http://app.railnet.org
📖 Learn more → https://railnet.org
221 View on Telegram
Following CoinShares, it’s now Monarq’s turn to launch a next-generation BTC yield strategy on Railnet’s infrastructure. The strategy is non-custodial, multi-venue, and risk-managed—targeting up to 6% yield

Please engage with the announcement here:
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7444700922061942784-PMB_?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAch9qoBhsrMsbwi5hBjvGYWQMCMny5UJyw
• https://x.com/railnet_org/status/2038940630869483997
313 View on Telegram
🚄CoinShares has joined as the first asset manager on Railnet, Kiln's infrastructure powering our non-custodial onchain yield product. Founded in 2013, CoinShares is a MiCA-regulated global digital asset manager with > $6B AUM.

📝️️️️️️ Read more about their strategies on Railnet: https://railnet.org/blog/coinshares-leverages-railnet-to-launch-the-first-institutional-grade-strategy-bridging-defi-and-rwas).

🔗 Engage with us: https://x.com/Kiln_finance/status/2034206441066700822?s=20

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kiln-fi_we-built-railnet-to-be-the-layer-where-regulated-activity-7439972118995496960-Qnro/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACRRrmwBK7oO-93bIzT1GNddhzdtFtn7IgA
295 View on Telegram
Institutions are moving trillions of dollars onchain, but yield infrastructure is still fragmented, manual and hard to scale for regulated players.

Today we are introducing Railnet, an open yield infrastructure that standardizes how capital moves across staking, DeFi, tokenized assets, and real world yield.

Rather than competing for deposits, Railnet acts as neutral infrastructure connecting asset managers, protocols, and platforms on shared rails, with:
• Cross protocol strategy composition
• Compliance controls and address whitelisting
• Asynchronous execution (KYC and delayed settlement)
• Unified reporting across onchain and tokenized markets

We are building Railnet with and for…
491 View on Telegram

Recent posts from the official Telegram channel @Kiln_finance, shown as published. Not reviewed or endorsed by CryptoReview.

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