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SubWallet Extension makes it easy to stake your tokens and earn rewards. Access native staking, liquid staking, and nomination pools across multiple blockchain networks - all from your wallet.

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Staking Options

SubWallet supports multiple types of staking to fit different needs and risk profiles.

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Native Staking

Participate in network consensus directly:
  • Direct Nomination: Nominate validators on Polkadot, Kusama, and other Substrate chains
  • Flexible Control: Choose which validators to support
  • Network Security: Help secure the network while earning rewards
  • Unbonding Period: Tokens are locked and require time to unbond
Native staking typically offers the highest potential rewards but requires tokens to be locked for an unbonding period (28 days on Polkadot, 7 days on Kusama).

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Nomination Pools

Pool your tokens with others for easier staking:
  • Lower Minimum: Stake with smaller amounts than direct nomination requires
  • Simplified Process: Join a pool without selecting validators
  • Automatic Management: Pool operators handle validator selection
  • Shared Rewards: Rewards distributed proportionally to pool members
Nomination pools are perfect for users who want to stake without meeting the high minimum requirements of direct nomination or managing validator selection.

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Liquid Staking

Stake while maintaining liquidity:
  • Derivative Tokens: Receive liquid tokens representing your staked assets (e.g., LDOT, vDOT)
  • Immediate Liquidity: Use derivative tokens in DeFi without unstaking
  • No Unbonding Wait: Swap back to original tokens anytime via DEX
  • Supported Protocols: Acala, Bifrost, Parallel, Lido, and more

Acala

Stake DOT to receive LDOT. Use LDOT in Acala’s DeFi ecosystem while earning staking rewards.

Bifrost

Multi-chain liquid staking supporting DOT (vDOT), KSM (vKSM), GLMR (vGLMR), and more.

Parallel

Stake DOT to receive sDOT. Earn staking rewards plus additional yields through Parallel’s DeFi products.

Lido

Stake ETH to receive stETH. The leading liquid staking protocol for Ethereum.

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Lending Protocols

Earn interest by lending your assets:
  • Supply Assets: Lend tokens to borrowers
  • Interest Earnings: Receive yield from borrower interest payments
  • Variable Rates: APY changes based on supply and demand
  • Withdraw Anytime: Remove your funds when lending liquidity allows

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Getting Started with Staking

1

Choose a staking option

Browse available staking opportunities in the Earning section. Filter by network, minimum amount, or APY.
2

Select amount to stake

Enter how much you want to stake. SubWallet shows the minimum required and your available balance.
3

Configure staking parameters

For native staking, select validators. For pools, choose a nomination pool. Liquid staking is automatic.
4

Review and confirm

Check the estimated APY, fees, and unbonding period. Approve the transaction with your password or hardware wallet.

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Managing Your Stakes

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Active Positions

View all your staking positions in one place:
  • Staked Amount: Total tokens currently earning rewards
  • Current APY: Annual percentage yield for each position
  • Rewards Earned: Accumulated rewards (claimed and unclaimed)
  • Status: Active, unbonding, or ready to withdraw

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Staking Rewards

Track and claim your earnings:

Pending Rewards

Rewards earned but not yet claimed or bonded.

Claim Rewards

Transfer rewards to your transferable balance.

Compound Rewards

Automatically re-stake rewards to earn more (when supported).
Compounding rewards (re-staking) can significantly increase your earnings over time through the power of compound interest.

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Validator Selection

For native staking, choosing the right validators is crucial.

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What to Look For

The percentage of rewards validators keep. Lower commission means more rewards for you, but very low rates may indicate inadequate infrastructure.
Amount staked with the validator. Avoid over-subscribed validators as you may not earn rewards if you’re not in the top nominators.
Verified on-chain identity shows professionalism and accountability. Look for validators with complete identity information.
Historical uptime and era points. Validators who miss blocks or are offline reduce your rewards.
Check if validators have been slashed before. Slashing penalties affect nominator rewards.
SubWallet can help you select validators:
  • Auto-Selection: Algorithm chooses optimal validators based on performance and decentralization
  • Manual Selection: Pick your own validators from the full list
  • Diversification: Select multiple validators to reduce risk
Never stake all your tokens with a single validator. Distribute across multiple validators to minimize the impact of downtime or slashing.

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Unstaking and Withdrawals

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Unstaking Process

1

Initiate unstaking

Select the staking position and choose how much to unstake.
2

Wait for unbonding

Tokens enter an unbonding period where they don’t earn rewards but can’t be transferred. Duration varies by network.
3

Withdraw funds

After unbonding completes, withdraw your tokens to make them transferable again.

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Unbonding Periods

Different networks have different unbonding times:
  • Polkadot: 28 days
  • Kusama: 7 days
  • Astar: 10 days
  • Moonbeam: 7 days
  • Ethereum 2.0: Withdrawals enabled since Shanghai upgrade
During unbonding, your tokens don’t earn rewards but remain locked. Plan accordingly if you need liquidity.

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Fast Unstaking

Some protocols offer quick exits:
  • Liquid Staking: Swap derivative tokens back to original tokens on DEXs
  • Lending Protocols: Withdraw instantly if liquidity is available
  • Fast Unstake: Some chains offer fast unstaking if you haven’t earned rewards recently

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Earning Thresholds and Limits

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Minimum Amounts

Each staking option has minimum requirements:
  • Native Staking: Often requires 100+ tokens (varies by network)
  • Nomination Pools: Usually 1-10 tokens minimum
  • Liquid Staking: Minimums vary by protocol (often very low)
  • Lending: Typically no minimum or very small amounts

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Maximum Nominations

For native staking:
  • Maximum number of validators you can nominate (typically 16-24)
  • Over-nominating can reduce your rewards
  • SubWallet helps ensure optimal nomination counts

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Staking Risks

Understand these risks before staking:

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Slashing

  • Validators can be penalized for misbehavior
  • Nominators share in slashing penalties
  • Choose validators carefully to minimize risk

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Lock-up Period

  • Tokens are locked and cannot be transferred
  • Unbonding takes time (varies by network)
  • Plan for liquidity needs before staking

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Validator Performance

  • Poor validator performance reduces rewards
  • Offline validators earn no rewards
  • Monitor your validators regularly

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Smart Contract Risk

  • Liquid staking and lending use smart contracts
  • Contracts can have bugs or be exploited
  • Use established protocols with audited code

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Market Risk

  • Token price can fluctuate while staked
  • Rewards in native tokens subject to price changes
  • Consider your risk tolerance

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Changing Validators

Update your validator selection without unstaking:
1

Access your staking position

Find the active stake you want to modify.
2

Change nominations

Select new validators to replace underperforming ones.
3

Confirm changes

Changes take effect in the next era (typically 24 hours for Polkadot).
Regularly review your validators’ performance and update nominations if you notice declining rewards or uptime issues.

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Reward History

Track your earning performance over time:
  • Daily Rewards: See rewards earned each day
  • Historical APY: Track how yields change over time
  • Claim History: Record of all reward claims
  • Total Earned: Cumulative rewards across all positions

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Advanced Features

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Reward Destination

Choose where rewards go:
  • Staked: Automatically compound by adding rewards to stake
  • Free Balance: Claim rewards to transferable balance
  • Custom Account: Send rewards to a different account

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Multi-Chain Staking

Manage stakes across multiple networks:
  • View all positions in one dashboard
  • Compare APYs across networks
  • Optimize your portfolio allocation
  • Track total earnings across chains

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Best Practices

If you’re new to staking, start with a small amount to understand the process before committing larger sums.
Spread your stake across multiple validators to reduce risks from slashing, downtime, or over-subscription.
Check your staking positions periodically to ensure validators are performing well and you’re earning expected rewards.
Re-staking rewards maximizes long-term earnings through compound interest, especially on networks with frequent reward payouts.
Don’t stake all your tokens. Keep some liquid for transaction fees, emergencies, or opportunities.
Know the unbonding period before staking. If you might need funds soon, consider liquid staking or lending instead.
For liquid staking and lending, research the protocol’s track record, audits, and total value locked before participating.

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