Staking lets you earn 4–17% annual income on crypto you already own. Ethereum, Solana, Polkadot, Cardano all pay you to hold. Here's how it works.
Proof-of-stake blockchains need validators to confirm transactions. Validators must lock up ("stake") coins as collateral — proving they have skin in the game. In exchange, they earn rewards. You delegate your coins to a validator and share in the rewards.
ATOM: 15–17% APY (21-day unlock). DOT: 13–15% APY (28-day unlock). INJ: 14–15% APY. NEAR: 10–11% APY (2-day unlock). SOL (JitoSOL): 7.8% APY. ADA: 5.5% APY (no lock). ETH: 4.2% APY (via Lido).
Lock period: once staked, you can't sell during the unbonding window. Price risk: 14% APY won't offset a 50% price crash. Slashing: validators who misbehave lose a % of staked coins. Network risk: use only the official staking interface.
Staking rewards in India are taxed at your SLAB RATE when received — not 30% flat. If you receive ₹50,000 of ATOM staking rewards and your income bracket is 20%, you pay ₹10,000 tax on the reward. Later sale profits taxed at 30%.
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