Chill Guy is a viral meme illustration that took social media by storm before a crypto project used the meme to launch a Solana-based token. Learn more here.

What started as a simple illustration of a laid-back dog has become a global meme sensation, with the cartoon character known as Chill Guy dominating both social media trends and cryptocurrency markets. Created by artist Phillip Banks in October 2023, the easygoing canine character sparked a viral movement that has attracted major brands worldwide.

This article follows Chill Guy’s transformation from a social media sensation to a cryptocurrency asset. We'll examine its viral beginnings, community growth, market impact and what potential investors can expect from CHILLGUY in the future.

 is a viral meme illustration by artist Phillip Banks, depicting a laid-back dog in casual clothes whose easygoing attitude took social media by storm before a crypto project used the meme to launch Just a Chill Guy as a Solana-based token.

What Does Just a Chill Guy Aim to Achieve?

The CHILLGUY meme coin aims to spread a "Why worry?" philosophy into cryptocurrency markets by embracing the laid-back, stress-free attitude that made the original meme go viral. The project transforms this easygoing vibe into a community-driven token, where being low-key isn't just a catchphrase — it's a shared mindset among holders.

The CHILLGUY community brings this philosophy to life by sharing endless variations of the CHILLGUY meme across social platforms. Through market swings and viral trends, CHILLGUY keeps his iconic pose: hands in pockets, subtle smirk, perpetually relaxed.

Just a Chill Guy (CHILLGUY) operates as a Solana Program Library (SPL) token on the 

 blockchain, leveraging the network's ultrafast speeds and low costs to ensure smooth trading. The token was created using Pump.fun, a specialized platform that lets users launch Solana-based tokens without any fees, removing traditional barriers to token creation.

CHILLGUY is a community takeover (CTO), meaning it's completely owned and directed by its token holders with no central team in control. This decentralized structure ensures the project stays true to its community-driven nature, its holders collectively guiding its future while embodying the laid-back spirit of the original meme.

The CHILLGUY token launched with a maximum supply of 1 billion tokens, of which 999,965,435 are currently in circulation. This near-complete distribution of tokens to the market supports active trading and community participation.

What makes CHILLGUY's tokenomics particularly notable is its widespread distribution across more than 142,000 unique holders (as of Nov 27, 2024), achieved in just 12 days. This rapid expansion of its holder base demonstrates strong community adoption and aligns with the project's decentralized, community-driven principles.

CHILLGUY has exploded across social media, especially on TikTok, where the meme has amassed hundreds of millions of views. Its laid-back character resonates with users worldwide, inspiring countless creative adaptations.

Major brands worldwide have embraced CHILLGUY in their marketing campaigns. From Sprite Europe to NFL on CBS, the character has resonated across mainstream media, even catching the attention of global figures like El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele.

The “Chill Guy” meme’s influence spans multiple social media platforms, with a growing community of followers: 96.6K on X (

). On the other hand, the meme token itself also has a vast community, with 39.9K on X (

) and an active Telegram channel of over 15,000 members. These numbers reflect the meme's ability to engage audiences across different platforms.

The token's popularity in cryptocurrency markets matches its social media success, with CHILLGUY maintaining a substantial 24-hour trading volume of over $330.03M as of Nov 27, 2024. This high trading activity demonstrates the strong market interest in CHILLGUY beyond its meme status.

Looking to trade Just a Chill Guy tokens? Bybit now offers the CHILLGUY/USDT Spot trading pair and CHILLGUYUSDT Perpetual contract. To get started, you’ll first need to create a Bybit account, then fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

While CHILLGUY has maintained strong trading volumes and continues gaining mainstream attention through its viral social media presence, investors should carefully weigh its strengths and risk factors before making investment decisions.

With its widespread brand adoption, sustained trading activity and explosive community growth of over 142,000 holders, CHILLGUY demonstrates significant market potential. However, meme coins are inherently volatile. Potential investors should 

 and invest no more than they can afford to lose.

CHILLGUY is the latest viral sensation to harness the power of the attention economy to convert social media momentum into crypto market success. While CHILLGUY has already demonstrated its ability to capture mass appeal, its position as a leading meme token will depend upon how effectively it maintains its cultural relevance and community engagement in this fast-moving market.

Intermediate

chill guy, chillguy.png

Just a Chill Guy (CHILLGUY): Embracing the Art of Nonchalance

Zircuit (ZRC) combines optimistic and ZK rollups with AI-driven security, offering fast, low-cost Ethereum Layer 2 solutions. 

 network has flourished, mainly due to the ongoing network congestion, high fees and poor scalability of the latter. Many of these platforms use rollup technology, whereby batches of multiple transactions processed off-chain are bundled together and posted in bulk to the underlying Layer 1. Ethereum-linked rollups mainly come in two varieties 

 (ZK). While optimistic rollups boast lower computational overhead, the ZK variety of these networks features a higher degree of security.

Zircuit (ZRC) is a Layer 2 chain that adopts a hybrid approach, combining the elements of optimistic and 

. This lets the platform offer the performance benefits of optimistic technology along with the security of ZK validity proofs. To further enhance overall security, Zircuit uses a unique 

 (AI)–driven system of monitoring for malicious transactions.

 (ZRC) is a hybrid Layer 2 blockchain that combines the features of optimistic and ZK rollups, and uses AI-driven monitoring for potentially harmful transactions. 

 rollup development technology, a popular framework for building optimistic rollup networks. Additionally, it uses zero-knowledge proofs, which lets the platform offer the best of both worlds 

 the performance benefits of optimistic rollups and the security of ZK technology. Zircuit is 

The Zircuit project takes security very seriously, and has introduced a unique system of AI-based protection against malicious transactions at the sequencer node level. The use of ZK proofs and an AI-based protection system make Zircuit one of the most secure platforms in the competitive world of Ethereum Layer 2 chains.

Along with its excellent security benefits, Zircuit also boasts low costs, fast transactions, excellent scalability and 2-second block production intervals. All these features make it an ideal environment for 

 (DApps) in various niches, particularly 

 (DeFi). In fact, the leading protocols within the Zircuit ecosystem are all dedicated to the finance niche, with Zircuit Staking being the largest application by TVL.

With its heavy focus on DeFi, Zircuit aims to become a leading liquidity hub for various token types within the sector, including 

. These assets can be staked through the Zircuit staking program — supported by the platform's Liquidity Hub — to earn staking APRs, airdrop rewards and points based on the Zircuit Point program (covered further in our article).

The platform also operates a secure native bridging solution, 

, to help users transfer assets between its Layer 2 network and Ethereum Layer 1.

The company behind the project, Zircuit Ltd., was founded in 2021 in Canada by Dr. Martin Derka, Jan Gorzny and Angel Xu. Zircuit's testnet was launched in November 2023, but made headlines in April 2024 when the project reported that its 

 (TVL) had soared past $2 billion. While testnet TVLs are more a gauge of future potential for a blockchain than an indicator of its existing worth, the news attracted the attention of industry observers toward the platform. Following its highly publicized testnet success, Zircuit launched the first phase of its mainnet in August 2024. This was followed by the launch of the platform's native token, ZRC, in November 2024.

As a typical rollup, Zircuit uses an off-chain sequencer node to batch and organize Layer 2 transactions for subsequent posting to the underlying Ethereum Layer 1. The batches have ZK validity proofs attached to them to signal to Layer 1 validators that they’re free from fraudulent transactions. Zircuit's architecture also includes prover nodes, whose job is to produce these validity proofs.

However, unlike other rollups using ZK proofs (also known as validity proofs), Zircuit doesn't generate validity proofs for every block of transactions. Instead, some blocks have pre-generated template proofs, while others go through the process of having a dedicated validity proof created for them. After a few blocks featuring validity proofs, there are several more that utilize template proofs. The image below illustrates this approach.

The key reason Zircuit has adopted this form of proof design is that the process of generating ZK proofs is computationally intensive. By using template proofs for some of the blocks in a sequence, Zircuit can reduce the overall computational overhead. However, the project’s team has stated that the template proof model is temporary, and will be phased out in the future. At that stage, the platform will move to generating ZK proofs for each block.

Zircuit features a highly modular design whereby provers — responsible for generating validity proofs on the platform — can easily be plugged into or removed from the network. This modular approach is distinct from the standard ZK rollup design, in which provers are more tightly and less flexibly integrated into the overall architecture.

As noted earlier, Zircuit uses a dedicated sequencer to organize and batch transactions into blocks. The platform also applies AI-driven monitoring at the sequencer level (the Sequencer Level Security, or SLS) to spot and exclude fraudulent transactions before they’re finalized on Layer 2.

When transactions are first posted to Zircuit, they enter the 

 — a temporary area from which the sequencer picks and organizes individual transactions into blocks. The mempool is being monitored at all times, using AI algorithms to identify suspicious transactions. If a transaction in the mempool raises a flag, it's quarantined and assessed for validity before the sequencer can include it in a block. The image below shows how this process works.

One of the distinct features of Zircuit is its hybrid architecture, which combines the properties of optimistic and ZK rollups. At the base level, Zircuit is built using Optimism's Bedrock development framework, a technology popular for optimistic rollup networks. However, the use of ZK proofs — or, to be more precise, a combination of validity proofs and template proofs — ensures that Zircuit enjoys a security level that standard optimistic rollups normally can't match.

The use of AI-based SLS provides robust security to Zircuit, complementing the already highly secure ZK proof system. Very few Layer 2 networks in the industry currently feature anything similar, making the platform a true pioneer of AI use for sequencer-level operations.

Like any rollup based on Optimism Bedrock, Zircuit enjoys EVM compatibility. This allows for smooth interoperability with the underlying Ethereum Layer 1. EVM compatibility also makes it easy for developers familiar with Ethereum’s environment to develop Zircuit-based DApps, or to port existing Ethereum applications to the platform. Developers can take advantage of technologies commonly used for Ethereum (e.g., the Solidity programming language and the Hardhat development framework) to build Zircuit applications and smart contracts.

Zircuit Bridge is a native bridging solution designed to easily transfer tokens between Ethereum and Zircuit. It boasts high security, low transaction fees and fast transfers, and allows users to move a variety of cryptocurrencies between Ethereum and Zircuit, including ETH, 

) and LRTs like Super Symbiotic LRT (weETHs). As of late November 2024, the total number of cryptos supported by the bridge is close to 30.

Zircuit has launched a reward program called Zircuit Points. Users can earn these Points by staking supported assets, and by participating in the Build to Earn initiative (more on this below). Accumulated points will be converted to ZRC tokens in the future. Points also create the opportunity to qualify for token airdrops.

The primary way for most users to earn Zircuit points is via 

. The Zircuit Staking program lets you stake LSTs, LRTs, popular stablecoins, some wrapped tokens and Ether (ETH) to earn points. Using LSTs and LRTs, you can earn yields (along with native Zircuit staking APRs and Points) from the respective staking and restaking platforms that issue these assets.

Zircuit Points earned via staking have different multipliers, depending upon the asset. For example, Ether has a multiplier of 0.5, while LSTs, LRTs and stablecoins have a multiplier of 1. Multipliers for different LST and LRT assets may be subject to change in the future.

Build to Earn is another way to qualify for Zircuit Points. The program allows developers to contribute to the Zircuit ecosystem and earn Points in a number of ways, including:

Launched in November 2024, ZRC is the platform's native cryptocurrency. It's an 

 asset deployed on both Zircuit and Ethereum Layer 1. ZRC is mainly used for reward distributions, and participation in token airdrops for ecosystem DApps. Currently, transaction fees on the network are paid in Ether. It's possible that, in the future, ZRC might be used for some transaction fee payments.

ZRC is also used for rewards under the Gas Rebate program. As users conduct transactions on the platform, they 

. Zircuit’s Gas Rebate program provides rebates to offset some of the incurred fees. The amount of ZRC earned as a rebate is proportional to the amount spent on gas in ETH; the project's documentation states that for each ETH spent on gas, the user earns 125% in ZRC. All kinds of gas fee payments qualify for the rebate, including ordinary asset transfers and transactions involving interaction with Zircuit DApps.

ZRC is a supply-capped token, with a maximum and total supply of 10 billion. The token's supply allocation shares are as follows:

The ZRC token is available on Bybit's Spot market as a swap pair with USDT (

 to grab a share of the 5 million ZRC prize pool. New users who sign up for a Bybit account and complete identity verification can earn ZRC rewards by accumulating a deposit volume of at least 2,000 ZRC, or by depositing 100 USDT and trading 100 USDT worth of ZRC via their first trade with Bybit. 

Meanwhile, existing users can qualify for ZRC rewards by trading at least 500 USDT worth of ZRC on the Bybit Spot market, with the possibility of earning up to 10,000 ZRC based on trading volume. The 

 event will run through Dec 10, 2024, 8:59AM UTC.

Zircuit is among the pioneering Layer 2 platforms to adopt a hybrid design for a rollup network. Thanks to the platform's architecture, users can take advantage of low transaction costs, fast transfers and great scalability while enjoying the benefits of high security delivered by ZK proofs and AI-driven mempool monitoring. AI-based monitoring for fraudulent transactions is a particularly notable feature of the platform and is undoubtedly among the most advanced technologies employed in the blockchain industry.

User security combined with faster and cheaper transactions for the Ethereum network — all in one package — is now feasible, thanks to Zircuit's innovative technology and unique approach!

Advanced

Zircuit.png

What Is Zircuit (ZRC): Where Performance Meets Cutting-Edge Security

Bybit is celebrating its sixth anniversary with the #Super6Bybit event, offering a $1.2 million prize pool and focusing on its bbSOL token.

Daily Top Performer — Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.38% as tech stocks dropped and inflation data reinforced a hawkish Fed outlook. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 0.40%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 1.86% and 1.79%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is VIRTUAL, which surged 53.6% following the launch of the $MUSIC token by Agentstarter, featuring AI-driven music video capabilities and community-focused tokenomics.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), founded in 2021, allows users to invest in and co-own AI-driven virtual assets like companions and influencers. Its model fosters community ownership, transforming AI agents into revenue-generating assets across platforms like Roblox and TikTok. The platform attracts contributors from AI and gaming to drive innovation in virtual economies. 

, using AI to create music videos and offering features like animated videos, voice mimicry, and karaoke tracks. The tokenomics allocate 60% for airdrops, 20% for liquidity, and 10% each for the development team and Virtuals Protocol.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

Bybit is celebrating its sixth anniversary with the 

, offering a $1.2 million prize pool and focusing on its bbSOL token. Launched in September 2024, bbSOL is the first exchange-backed Liquid Staking Token on Solana, providing liquidity and staking rewards. The campaign, running from November 28, 2024, to January 6, 2025, invites participants to build, transform, and supercharge their bbSOL through tasks, leaderboards, and community milestones, increasing rewards. The event combines gaming mechanics, community engagement, and opportunities to win prizes while promoting innovation and growth in the crypto space.

Yesterday, there were no flows in BTC Spot ETFs, including GBTC and non-GBTC categories.

. Stake BNB on Lista's portal to get slisBNB, then deposit it into Astherus to earn airdrop points with multipliers (3X for Lista, 1.15X for Astherus). No lockup is required, and slisBNB is the most efficient option.

Beginner

1.png

Bybit Celebrates 6th Anniversary with $1.2M Prize Pool and bbSOL Supercharging Campaign

Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events, the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume, and futures, options and perpetual contracts.

ETH has outperformed, bolstered by SEC Chair Gary Gensler's announcement of his Jan 20, 2025 departure, and suggested by growing open interest in ETH perpetual. This positive momentum extends to several large-cap altcoins previously scrutinized by the SEC, as indicated by bullish funding rates for long positions.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

ETH Open Interest Grows While BTC’s Declines

ETH is outperforming BTC following the announcement of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s departure, as evidenced in perpetual swap markets. BTC open interest has decreased from last week's highs, while ETH contracts have increased. Additionally, ETH trade volumes constitute a larger share of daily trading as compared to much of the past six months, despite an overall dip in trade volumes this week. The gradual decline in BTC open interest, without a surge in trading activity, indicates a strategic repositioning, rather than a wave of liquidations.

BTC Option Curve Inversion Deepens as Price Retreats

The pullback in the spot BTC price from the $100K target has led to a flat ATM volatility term structure, with short-tenor options dropping below 60%. 

This trend continues the correlation between term structure inversion and BTC spot price returns observed since the U.S. election on November 5, 2024

. The decline in front-end volatility aligns with lower realized volatility levels. While demand for short-tenor options has moderated, there hasn't been a notable change in open interest for calls or puts. Instead, their growth has stalled at the week's start.

Sentiment in ETH options markets seems moderately more bullish than in BTC's during the recent decline in momentum from the post-election rally. Call options lead in both trading volumes and open interest. 

block-scholes-x-bybit-report.jpeg

Bybit X Block Scholes Crypto Derivatives Analytics Report (Nov 27, 2024): Signal on ETH Outperformance Against BTC Surfaces on Long-Term Contracts

Bybit Learn

Crypto

Ethermine, the largest Ethereum mining pool, has launched a new staking service called Ethermine Staking following The Merge. Find out more about it here.

With Ethereum’s long-anticipated and long-delayed 

 and investors are considering what steps to take moving forward. How well The Merge goes will influence some investors’ and traders’ decisions. Others, who have strong convictions about 

 or who are taking a long-term approach, may not be too concerned about the after-effects of The Merge. 

 is one of the top options for staking ETH after The Merge — and you can actually begin staking immediately if you want to.

Mining Ether on Ethermine is a simple process. On the website, click on 

, then choose your mining server and mining software. Ethermine offers servers in the U.S., Europe and Asia. There are two options for the U.S. and Asia, depending on where you live, so that you can choose a server closer to you. 

Mining software compatible with Ethermine includes options for Windows AMD, Windows NVIDIA, Linux® AMD and Linux NVIDIA. You can view the specific software on the Mining page. Ethermine provides a link to each software's download and a configuration guide, making it easy to get started.

Anyone with a computer can mine Ether, but it may or may not be profitable, depending on the hardware used and the cost of electricity. It’s necessary to run calculations to determine whether to mine on your own or with a large Ethereum mining pool. The average computer isn't able to profitably mine Ether. 

 that you can use to easily make this calculation.

 of the participants to mine the cryptocurrency. If the mining pool successfully mines a block, then the reward is divided among the participants. A benefit of using one of the larger Ethereum mining pools, such as Ethermine, is that you’ll have a higher success rate. This mining pool is responsible for 22% of the Ethereum network's hash rate. It only charges a 1% fee on mining rewards, and the platform is available on both desktop and mobile.

Because Ethereum has long had the aim to switch to a 

 (PoW) model, the closure of Ethereum mining pools is inevitable. Now that The Merge has been completed, Ethermine has shut down its ETH mining service. 

All is not lost for ETH miners, however, as Ethermine has already launched 

 so that users can continue to be rewarded for "mining" ETH. 

What Will Happen to ETH Miners After Ethereum’s Merge?

ETH miners have several possible routes to take after The Merge. One is to switch to mining 

 (ETC), which will remain a PoW network. Alternatively, miners could begin mining another of the many PoW cryptocurrencies available, such as 

. They may want to keep some more potential income flowing in by staking their Ether. This won't be as profitable as their previous mining activities, however, so they’ll probably want to find a new cryptocurrency to mine in addition to staking ETH. If miners choose to begin staking ETH, then they’ll be known as validators.

What ETH miners do after The Merge will affect the price of ETH. If enough miners stick around to stake, then the price of ETH may remain stable or increase. On the other hand, if too many ETH stakers or large holders leave the network, then ETH may see a selloff.

After The Merge, validators can expect to earn at least

 on their staked ETH. You can make your ETH staking returns more predictable by running multiple validators, or by joining a staking pool.

Alternatively, ETH miners can also look forward to mining 

 instead, Ethereum’s forked token. ETH holders will have already received their ETHW airdrop after The Merge. If you’re looking to 

Ethermine isn't going anywhere, however, just because Ethereum has transitioned into a PoS model. The platform has made the transition alongside the Ethereum network. Its new ETH staking service will enable users to collectively stake and earn interest on 0.1 ETH and above through the platform.

This new ETH staking service isn't to be confused with 

, which is a solo staking service, not a staking pool. Solo staking involves using your own validator to stake. Another difference on ETHpool is that solo staking requires at least 32 ETH per validator.

Ethermine Staking is a staking pool service that collectively stakes ETH from multiple users, making it possible for anyone to stake. At least 32 ETH will be in the staking pool because this is an Ethereum-imposed requirement in order to stake Ether.

Ethermine Staking is currently operating with an invested balance of 660 ETH, and it is offering stakers an annual ETH interest rate of 5.23%. Prior to The Merge, Ethermine Staking didn’t charge a fee for its service. However, now that The Merge has been completed, Ethermine will start to collect a fee to help manage the nodes. Fees will depend on the amount of ETH you’ve invested, including the ETH from your referrals. If you invest 0.1 to 31.9 ETH, you’ll have to pay a 15% fee. However, this fee decreases when you invest more ETH. 

The service uses an open-source reference rate for transparency. Ethermine Staking runs on 

 that provides a calculation of your daily average financial return. The code that 

 uses is also open-source, so that anyone can view it to confirm that it's safe to use.

Ethermine Staking uses a simple, non-compound interest rate. The percentage of your return is based on your initial deposit. When you stake with this platform, your investment begins accruing interest after about 36 hours or so. The exact formula is (confirmation period + waiting period + next reward day). It only takes 12 hours for confirmation, while the waiting period is 24 hours.

You could choose to eliminate the confirmation period by waiving it in the email you receive, or through your dashboard. Otherwise, if you want to go through the confirmation period, it begins after your transfer has gone through 65 confirmed blocks. Once the waiting period ends, your staked ETH begins accruing interest on the next reward day. Reward days start at 12:00:23 UTC.

Ethermine Staking offers a referral program, which works as follows: When your referral stakes ETH, the platform reduces your fee based on that amount. For example, if you’ve staked 20 ETH (which carries a fee of 15%), your fee would drop to 13% if a referral stakes 12 ETH, since staking 32 to 95.9 ETH carries a 13% fee.

Unlike ETH mining, there are no computer hardware requirements to participate in this staking pool. You don't need technical knowledge for this service, either. If you were to go with solo staking, however, you’d need some technical knowledge to correctly set it up. In addition, losing your 32 ETH due to an error in setting up your solo staking is a possibility.

An invested amount of 96–959.9 ETH carries a fee of 10% on returns. The lowest possible staking fee is 8%, for investments of 960 ETH and above.

You can earn rewards with as little as 0.1 ETH. If you were to stake on your own, you'd need at least 32 ETH to generate rewards. This low barrier to entry allows anyone to get started. Because of this, you may be able to get some of your friends and/or loved ones in on staking, too.

Ethermine Staking promotes accurate risk assessment, because its reference rate is open-source and provides daily calculations on your returns. In addition, it's not just your reference rate that you can view. You can check the reference rate of other validators who are using the platform as well. For instance, if you were planning to move to another country, you could see what the reference rate is in that region.

Ethermine Staking has a support channel open 

. Thus, you don’t need to worry that you’ll be left in the dark if you encounter any issues.

Because the platform has a high number of users and staked ETH, you can benefit from larger and more reliable returns, and the platform is unlikely to shut down.

The platform uses an open-source code and reference rate. You'll always know clearly what your daily returns are, and you (or anyone else) can check the code to find out how the system is functioning.

You don't need to maintain your own node when you stake ETH through Ethermine Staking. Maintaining a node takes more time and requires technical knowledge — whereas you just have to click a few buttons with Ethermine Staking. Of course, there are also hardware requirements and energy costs with running your own node.

Ethermine Staking won't be accepting users from the U.S., so if you’re a U.S. resident, you'll have to find another staking pool that accepts U.S. users.

Ethermine charges a higher fee for its new ETH staking service on smaller amounts of staked ETH. Thus, if you only have a little bit of ETH to start with, your fee could be as high as 15%.

Just as with other methods of staking ETH, there is risk involved. Exploits, bugs and slashing are some of the potential risks that come with staking ETH. There's also the possibility of withdrawal freezes with any platform that you use to stake.

After The Merge, you'll need to wait until the 

 to withdraw your staking rewards. This could take anywhere from six months to five years.

Ethermine Staking vs. Other Ethereum Staking Pools

 are some of the other ETH staking pools that you can use.

Similar to Ethermine Staking, Rocket Pool and Stkr also allow you to start with small amounts of ETH. However, Stkr (a 

, and is powered by the ANKR token) has a higher minimum of 0.5 ETH. All of these platforms are fairly secure, and easy to use as well.

Rocket Pool and Stkr tokenize your ETH earnings so that you can make withdrawals without having to wait on the Ethereum protocol to roll out the Shanghai Upgrade. You would earn rETH from Rocket Pool and aETH from Stkr. You could sell your tokenzied ETH, or use it in DeFi products.

, so you don't need to use an external UI to manage your staked ETH. This is convenient for those who use MetaMask.

Rocket Pool spreads out a slashing loss across the entire staking pool, so that no single person takes the hit alone. Slashing is when the individual operating the node makes a mistake and loses ETH. Theft and loss of ETH is a possibility, no matter what type of staking method you use. Rocket Pool could be a way of minimizing your losses if one were to occur.

Stkr also has protections in place for users in case the node is slashed. Those who want to run nodes for Stkr need to provide 4 ETH as a security deposit for the purpose of compensating stakers (who may suffer from the node being slashed). If a node is slashed too many times in a certain time period, the person who was running the node will no longer be allowed to operate it through Stkr.

Since you can start staking ETH on Rocket Pool with as little as 0.01 ETH (which is even smaller than the 0.1 ETH minimum for Ethermine), you may want to try Rocket Pool. 

, however, is geared toward high-net worth investors. For those who have the liquidity to use Staked, it offers higher returns than other options.

Ethermine Staking is worth trying for both beginning and experienced traders. A trustworthy brand that's already in the mining and staking industry is behind it to help give you confidence. However, it's only for those with a long-term plan, because your ETH will be locked up until Ethereum rolls out the next phase that will allow withdrawals. It could take years for the Shanghai Upgrade, just as it took years for The Merge to finally occur.

Ethermine Staking is an easy, relatively safe way to stake ETH. Whether you have a small or a large amount of ETH to stake, you can use the platform. There’s no cap on how much ETH you can stake. The downside is that you'll have to wait six months to five years to withdraw your rewards, because that’s dependent upon Ethereum rolling out its next critical advance, the Shanghai Upgrade.

What Is Ethermine & How Does Its ETH Staking Service Work?

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards