Liquid staking protocol on Ethereum and Gnosis with independent vaults and osETH minting
StakeWise is a non-custodial liquid staking protocol on Ethereum and Gnosis Chain that lets users stake assets across independent validator vaults. Instead of pooling all deposits into a single operator set, the architecture isolates capital into distinct node operator vaults and lets users mint overcollateralized liquid staking tokens like osETH and osGNO.
StakeWise was founded in 2020 by Kirill Kutakov and Dmitri Tsumak, initially bootstrapping the platform while Kutakov worked as an equity analyst at Avaron Asset Management. The project raised a $2.0M seed funding round in March 2021 led by Greenfield Capital, with participation from Boldstart Ventures, Collider Ventures, and gumi Cryptos Capital. Governance of protocol parameters is led by holders of the native SWISE token.
Depositors connect non-custodial wallets to stake ETH or GNO directly into individual vaults run by solo stakers or professional node operators, including setups using Distributed Validator Technology (DVT). Stakers can hold their vault tokens directly or mint osETH to use across DeFi. For leverage, StakeWise Boost deposits osETH as collateral into Aave to borrow ETH and restake it, supporting loan-to-value ratios up to 93% with a liquidation threshold set at 95%.
StakeWise enforces no global uniform staking fee. Instead, staking fees are configured independently by each individual vault operator. The StakeWise Boost module charges a 0% protocol fee. Access is permissionless and requires no identity verification (KYC), operating worldwide through smart contracts deployed on Ethereum and Gnosis Chain.
The protocol launched on Ethereum mainnet in 2021 and has recorded over $1M invested in independent smart contract security audits. As of October 2026, StakeWise holds roughly $917M in total value locked, with more than $200M deposited into StakeWise Boost strategies. Primary risks include validator slashing, smart contract vulnerabilities across modular vaults, and liquidation exposure on Aave when using leveraged Boost positions.
Graduate of the University of Warwick who worked as an equity analyst at Avaron Asset Management focusing on Central and Eastern Europe.
StakeWise provides flexible vault-based liquid staking with overcollateralized osETH, but delegators face variable vault fees and lower secondary market liquidity than category leaders.
StakeWise operates a non-custodial liquid staking protocol on Ethereum and Gnosis Chain. Unlike pooled designs that blend all validators into a single risk profile, StakeWise V3 distributes deposits across independent, curated operator vaults. Stakers choose specific node operators or deploy private solo vaults, then mint osETH (or osGNO on Gnosis) as an overcollateralized liquid staking token backed by Distributed Validator Technology (DVT).
The modular architecture gives stakers direct control over validator selection and custody risk. Institutions and private node operators can set their own fee schedules, run bespoke hardware setups, or leverage integration partners such as Chorus One, Blockdaemon, and Ledger Live. StakeWise also provides StakeWise Boost, a looping strategy that utilizes osETH collateral on Aave to borrow ETH and restake it, which held over $200M in deposits as of October 2026 without charging a protocol fee.
However, the protocol presents clear structural trade-offs:
Founded in 2020 by Kirill Kutakov and Dmitri Tsumak, StakeWise launched on Ethereum mainnet in 2021 following a $2.0M seed funding round backed by Greenfield Capital, Boldstart Ventures, and gumi Cryptos Capital. Across its lifetime, the protocol has committed over $1M to independent security audits. StakeWise suits solo node runners and institutions seeking targeted delegation and custom infrastructure. Users who require maximum immediate DeFi liquidity across automated market makers should consider larger pooled protocols.
| KYC required ⓘ | No · unverified |
|---|---|
| Type | Liquid staking |
| Stakeable assets | ETH |
| Receipt token | osETH |
| Chains | Ethereum |
| Node operators | Decentralized operator vaults with DVT support · unverified |
| Audited | Yes |
Not disclosed by the provider: Protocol fee, Minimum stake, Withdrawal time, Restaking, Slashing cover, Typical reward rate.
Data from the provider's website and public sources. Fees and availability change; confirm on the official site before you sign up.
Users can allocate ETH or GNO across independent operator vaults configured with custom node runners, fees, and DVT setups.
Stakers can mint overcollateralized osETH or osGNO against their vault positions to retain liquidity across DeFi.
A leveraged staking strategy routes osETH into Aave to borrow ETH and restake it up to 93% LTV with zero protocol fees.
Vault operators can split validator private keys across multiple client nodes using DVT to limit single-point failure slashing.
The protocol runs non-custodially across both Ethereum mainnet and Gnosis Chain.
Holders of the native SWISE token direct protocol parameters, treasury allocations, and contracts through on-chain proposals.
Lets users browse, compare, and stake ETH across independent node operator pools and solo staker setups.
Automates leveraged staking by depositing osETH into Aave to borrow ETH and restake it, operating with up to 93% loan-to-value.
Enables SWISE token holders to participate in StakeWise DAO votes covering protocol rules, fee settings, and ecosystem upgrades.
User discussions mention liquid staking protocols generally, with insufficient specific feedback directly evaluating the platform. There are currently no recurring positive or negative themes identified.
Based on 1 Reddit posts and comments from the last 12 months, checked Oct 20, 2026. These are posts by users on other sites, not reviews submitted on CryptoReview.
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StakeWise was founded in 2020 by Kirill Kutakov and Dmitri Tsumak. Kutakov previously worked as an equity analyst at Avaron Asset Management.
Staking fees are set independently by each operator vault rather than unified across the protocol. The StakeWise Boost leveraged staking product carries a 0% protocol fee.
No, StakeWise is a non-custodial protocol deployed via public smart contracts on Ethereum and Gnosis Chain. Users connect a self-custody wallet without identity verification.
Yes, StakeWise has invested more than $1M in independent security audits since its launch. Its smart contract audits are publicly hosted in its GitHub repository.
StakeWise supports ETH on Ethereum and GNO on Gnosis Chain. Liquid staking depositors receive osETH or osGNO receipt tokens.
Yes, StakeWise uses the SWISE token for protocol governance. Token holders vote on parameter configurations, contract upgrades, and fee distribution.
Recent public posts from @stakewise_io, shown as published. Not reviewed or endorsed by CryptoReview.
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