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Liquid staking lets you earn staking rewards while keeping your assets usable. When you deposit SOL into a staking pool, you receive a liquid staking token (LST) that represents your position. Hold it to earn rewards, use it in DeFi via SquadsX, or swap it back to SOL at any time.

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How it works

When you deposit SOL into a liquid staking pool, you receive LST tokens (such as JitoSOL, mSOL, or bSOL) at the current exchange rate. Your token balance stays the same, but each token becomes worth more SOL over time as staking rewards accumulate. The exchange rate follows a simple formula: total SOL in pool / total LST supply. As validators earn rewards, the pool’s SOL increases while the token supply stays constant, causing each LST to appreciate. Rates update at the end of each Solana epoch, currently about once a day.
You start earning immediately. When you deposit SOL, you become a fractional owner of the stake pool and benefit from the next exchange rate increase. There is no activation delay.

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Stake SOL

1

Choose a pool

Navigate to Stake in the sidebar and select the Liquid tab. Review the available pools and their current APY rates.
2

Configure your stake

Select Stake on your chosen pool. Choose the sub-account to stake from and enter the amount of SOL. The modal shows how many LST tokens you will receive.
3

Submit for approval

Select Stake to create the proposal. Once approved and executed, your LST tokens appear in your Treasury.

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Unstake

You have two options to convert LST tokens back to SOL: Swap for instant liquidity. Use Swaps to exchange your LST directly for SOL. This executes immediately based on available liquidity with no waiting period. Unstake through the pool. Navigate to Stake, select the Liquid tab, and select Unstake on the pool you want to exit. Choose the sub-account and enter the amount of LST tokens to unstake, select Next, then Create Proposal. This creates a stake account on the Validator tab where you complete the deactivation process. SOL becomes withdrawable within one epoch. Marinade (mSOL) is the exception: it unstakes instantly for a small fee, and your SOL arrives as soon as the proposal is executed. Pools other than Marinade have a minimum unstake amount, shown as Minimum unstake in the modal. If your position is below it, swap your LST for SOL using Trade instead.
Need SOL immediately? Swap your LST tokens using Trade instead of unstaking through the pool.

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Available pools

APY rates vary by pool and update dynamically based on network conditions and validator performance.

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Best practices

  • Compare APY rates. Rates differ between pools and change over time. Higher APY may come with different risk profiles.
  • Consider LST liquidity. Some LSTs have deeper trading liquidity than others, which affects how easily you can swap back to SOL.
  • Diversify across pools. Spreading your stake reduces exposure to any single pool’s smart contract risk.
When do I start earning rewards?Immediately. You receive LST tokens at the current exchange rate and benefit from the next rate increase at the following epoch boundary. There is no activation delay.Why does my LST balance stay the same?LST tokens use an exchange rate model, not rebasing. Your token balance stays constant while each token’s value in SOL increases over time. To see your gains, check the current exchange rate or swap your LST back to SOL.What is the difference between liquid staking and validator staking?Liquid staking gives you a tradeable LST token you can use in DeFi or swap back to SOL instantly. Validator staking locks your SOL with a specific validator and requires a cooldown of up to one epoch to unstake. Liquid staking offers flexibility. Validator staking gives you full validator control and avoids smart contract risk.Can I use LST tokens in DeFi?Yes. LST tokens are standard SPL tokens that work in lending protocols, liquidity pools, and other Solana apps. Connect to external apps using SquadsX.