Leading staking analytics and infrastructure platform OnStaking has released its highly anticipated 2024 year-end data report, offering a comprehensive overview of the global crypto staking ecosystem. The report reveals that the total global staking market capitalization has soared to $95 billion, reflecting a 58% increase compared to January 2024.

This surge underscores the rapid growth and maturation of staking as a fundamental component of decentralized finance (DeFi), driven by innovations in proof-of-stake (PoS) protocols, the expansion of cross-chain staking solutions, and increasing participation from both retail and institutional investors.

Key Highlights from the OnStaking 2024 Year-End Report

• Global staking market cap reached $95 billion, up from $60.1 billion in early January.

• Top three staking assets by market value: Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA).

• Layer 1 staking dominance continues, but real-world asset (RWA) staking saw the fastest YoY growth.

• Institutional participation increased by 70% over the year.

• Asia-Pacific (APAC) region led in staking volume growth, followed by North America and Europe.

Staking Growth Drivers in 2024

1. Ethereum Staking as a Growth Engine
Ethereum remains the largest staking network, accounting for approximately 43% of the total market cap. The Prague upgrade and the implementation of partial withdrawal automation lowered technical barriers, leading to a surge in participation. With over 27 million ETH staked by year-end, Ethereum staking has become a cornerstone of passive yield strategies in DeFi.

2. Solana’s Resurgence
Despite early-year volatility, Solana (SOL) rebounded strongly, driven by validator reward reforms and higher APYs. With dynamic APY adjustment mechanisms and improved network reliability, SOL staking attracted over $12 billion in capital inflows during Q3 and Q4.

3. Rise of RWA Staking
One of 2024’s biggest shifts was the rise of RWA (real-world asset) staking. Protocols enabling the staking of tokenized U.S. Treasury Bills (e.g., USDTB by BlackRock) and commercial real estate assets brought institutional-grade stability to staking portfolios. RWA staking grew by 240% year-over-year, making it the fastest-growing segment in the staking economy.

Institutional and Retail Participation Trends

The report highlights that institutional investors are now responsible for 42% of global staking capital, a significant jump from 25% in 2023. The adoption of regulatory-compliant staking infrastructure, combined with multi-chain yield optimization tools, made it easier for funds and asset managers to integrate staking into their portfolio strategies.

On the retail side, the rollout of user-friendly mobile staking interfaces, wallet integrations, and low-minimum staking pools significantly boosted grassroots participation. Platforms such as OnStaking, Lido, and Rocket Pool reported record levels of active users, with over 6.3 million wallets involved in staking by year-end.

Cross-Chain Staking and Network Interoperability

Cross-chain staking was a major theme in 2024, with users increasingly demanding flexibility to stake across multiple blockchains without complex bridging requirements. OnStaking’s support for multi-chain staking—including Cosmos, Polkadot, Avalanche, and emerging Layer 3 ecosystems—helped meet this demand.

These integrations enabled:

• Unified dashboards for monitoring rewards across networks.

• Dynamic reallocation tools to move capital between chains based on yield.

• Lower fees and improved capital efficiency.

This trend is expected to accelerate in 2025, especially with Ethereum’s expanding Layer 2 and Layer 3 ecosystems driving modular staking strategies.

Regulatory Outlook and Compliance Trends

Despite strong growth, the report also notes that regulatory scrutiny intensified in several jurisdictions throughout 2024. Nations including the U.S., Germany, and South Korea introduced or proposed regulations concerning tax reporting on staking rewards, custodial staking services, and institutional transparency.

However, rather than stifling growth, these changes prompted platforms like OnStaking to implement on-chain compliance modules, tax estimation tools, and non-custodial validator partnerships, enabling users to remain compliant while benefiting from decentralized staking.

OnStaking’s Platform Growth and Contributions

OnStaking itself experienced significant growth in 2024:

• Platform TVL (total value locked) increased by 81%.

• Launched support for Cosmos, Near, and zkSync staking.

• Deployed its first RWA staking pool for tokenized green bonds.

• Released a Staking Insights dashboard with real-time APY comparison, validator ratings, and reward history.

As a leading analytics and infrastructure provider, OnStaking aims to continue driving innovation in the staking space, focusing on interoperability, compliance, and yield optimization.

Regional Analysis: APAC Leads the Way

Among all regions, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) zone accounted for the largest share of new staking capital, followed by North America and Europe. Contributing factors include:

• High adoption rates of mobile-first DeFi apps in Southeast Asia.

• Governmental support for digital asset innovation in Hong Kong and Singapore.

• Growing developer communities in Vietnam, India, and South Korea.

Top 5 Staked Assets by Market Cap (as of Dec 28, 2024)

Looking Ahead: Staking in 2025

The OnStaking report concludes with several key projections for 2025:

• Global staking market cap could surpass $120 billion if current growth rates continue.

• Liquid staking derivatives (LSDs) will see deeper integration across DeFi protocols.

• RWA staking pools will expand to include tokenized commodities and carbon credits.

• AI-driven validator selection tools may improve performance and security.

OnStaking remains committed to educating users, enabling transparent staking, and supporting the evolution of staking into a core yield strategy for Web3 and traditional finance.