Staking Rewards: How to Earn Crypto Just by Holding It

When you stake your crypto, you’re not just sitting on it—you’re helping secure a blockchain and getting paid for it. This is called staking rewards, earnings you receive for locking up cryptocurrency to support a proof-of-stake network. Also known as proof of stake rewards, it’s how networks like Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano keep running without mining rigs or huge energy bills. Instead of paying miners, these networks pick validators based on how much crypto they’re willing to lock up. The more you stake, the higher your chance of being chosen to verify transactions—and the more you earn.

Staking rewards aren’t magic. They’re built into the code of the network, and they pay out regularly—often daily or weekly. You don’t need to be a tech expert. You can stake through exchanges like Kraken or Coinbase, or use a wallet like Phantom or Ledger. But not all staking is equal. Some projects pay 5% a year. Others pay 20%. And some? They vanish. Look at UNN token, the governance token of UNION Protocol, a DeFi project that stopped development in 2021. People staked it, hoping for returns. Now it’s worth almost nothing. Same with DEGA, a token with no real project, no trading volume, and zero utility. Staking rewards only mean something if the underlying project is alive, transparent, and actually used.

That’s why you need to look beyond the APY. Ask: Is the network active? Are developers still updating it? Is there real demand for the token? Projects like Zephyr Protocol, a privacy-focused DeFi system that issues the anonymous stablecoin ZSD, are building real infrastructure. Their staking rewards come from real usage, not hype. Compare that to fake airdrops or dead tokens like MXNt, a Mexican peso stablecoin with almost no liquidity—no one’s staking that because there’s nothing to secure.

Staking rewards are one of the few ways regular people can earn crypto without buying, selling, or guessing market moves. But they’re not risk-free. The value of your staked coins can drop. The network can fail. Or worse—you might be locked in with no way out. That’s why the best staking isn’t about chasing the highest yield. It’s about choosing networks with real users, active code, and clear rules. The posts below show you exactly which staking opportunities still work, which ones are ghosts, and how to spot the difference before you lock up your coins.