The institutional adoption of liquid staking has reached another important milestone, as GK8 by Galaxy, a leading institutional-grade custody provider and wholly-owned subsidiary of Galaxy, announces the integration of custody support for Lido's stETH.
GK8’s support of stETH, Ethereum’s leading liquid staking token issued via the Lido protocol, addresses critical institutional needs including security, compliance, and capital efficiency.
Lido's stETH: Ethereum's Most Liquid Institutional Staking Token
stETH is Ethereum’s most widely adopted liquid staking token, currently representing nearly 25% of all staked ETH, and over $30 billion in total value locked (TVL).
Institutions increasingly recognize the need to access staking rewards without sacrificing liquidity. Unlike other staking tokens, stETH provides deep liquidity, allowing institutions to enter or exit substantial positions seamlessly, with minimal slippage across major decentralized finance (DeFi) and centralized platforms.
Institutional-Grade Custody with GK8 by Galaxy
GK8 by Galaxy provides secure, institutional self-custody technology designed specifically for institutions. Its custody infrastructure is built to ensure that institutions maintain compliance and operational control while interacting securely with digital assets.
With this integration, GK8 clients can securely custody stETH by leveraging GK8's advanced custody technologies, such as the Impenetrable Vault for fully offline storage, and Unlimited Multi-Party Computation (uMPC) for highly secure, flexible and fast transaction signing. This unique combination ensures maximum asset security, and operational scalability, providing institutions with a strong foundation for Ethereum staking via stETH.
“Liquid staking has been a foundational element for crypto-native participants, and we’re now seeing institutional interest accelerate – driven by growing market maturity and increased regulatory clarity,” says Benjamin Duve, Global Head of Partnerships at GK8 by Galaxy. “By integrating stETH, we’re proud to provide our institutional clients with secure, compliant access to the broader digital asset ecosystem, enabling them to participate confidently in emerging opportunities like liquid staking and beyond.”
Key Benefits for Institutions
By enabling institutions to securely custody and mint stETH directly through its platform, GK8 provides clear advantages to its clients:
- Enhanced Capital Efficiency: Institutions gain the ability to seamlessly receive Ethereum staking rewards while maintaining liquidity, improving overall portfolio performance and flexibility.
- Compliant solutions: GK8 strives to maintain compliance with evolving global regulatory requirements, making it easier for regulated entities to incorporate stETH into their portfolios
- Secure Direct Minting: Through GK8’s integration, institutions can directly mint stETH, simplifying access to Ethereum staking rewards without additional intermediaries or technical complexities.
Strengthening Institutional Adoption of Ethereum
This launch is part of the Lido Ecosystem Foundation’s broader strategy to strengthen stETH’s position as the institutional standard for Ethereum liquid staking, supported by trusted custodial integrations like GK8 by Galaxy.
“GK8’s integration is another key milestone for institutional liquid staking," said Kean Gilbert, Head of Institutional Relations at the Lido Ecosystem Foundation. "By combining GK8’s custody solutions with stETH’s market-leading liquidity available via the Lido protocol, institutions now have a secure, compliant, and capital-efficient way to deploy their Ethereum holdings strategically.”
For more details or to begin staking ETH via GK8 by Galaxy, contact Lido Institutional.
