Ethereum staking for L2s evolves as Lido stVaults open shared infrastructure to external builders

As specialized staking gains traction across DeFi, the launch of lido stvaults marks a new chapter for Ethereum infrastructure on mainnet.

Lido Labs Foundation brings stVaults to Ethereum mainnet

The Lido Labs Foundation unveiled stVaults on the Ethereum mainnet on Friday, introducing a new way for teams to access the protocol’s infrastructure. Instead of building a staking stack from scratch, external projects can now plug into Lido’s system and customize how they operate.

Until now, launching an Ethereum staking product usually required teams to set up their own validators, build DeFi integrations and bootstrap liquidity. However, that process is often costly, operationally complex and slow to scale. By contrast, stVaults allow builders to reuse Lido’s existing plumbing while designing tailored staking flows for their own users.

Moreover, the core Lido protocol does not change with this release. The traditional staking product continues to run as before, while stVaults operate alongside it as separate but connected environments.

How stVaults work as isolated staking environments

Technically, stVaults are isolated staking environments that sit on top of Lido’s infrastructure. They let teams run custom validator configurations, define their own policies and optionally mint stETH, all while remaining linked to Lido’s liquidity and DeFi integrations.

This design aims to support more specialized staking setups without fragmenting markets across many small pools. That said, each stVault can implement distinct rules, including bespoke reward routing, validator selection criteria or governance requirements, depending on the needs of the deploying project.

In this framework, lido stvaults effectively act as shared staking rails. Builders can focus on product design and risk controls, while relying on Lido’s established integrations, liquidity depth and track record on Ethereum.

From one-size-fits-all staking to tailored products

The rollout arrives as Ethereum staking for L2s and other segments moves beyond generic offerings. Market demand has shifted toward institutional-grade staking with stricter controls, application-specific products and layer-2 solutions that embed staking directly into their infrastructure.

However, creating these differentiated models has traditionally meant spinning up separate pools, which can dilute liquidity and fragment user experience. By keeping stVaults connected to Lido’s liquidity layer, the design seeks to preserve unified markets while still enabling customization.

Moreover, this approach supports lido protocol shared staking across diverse partners, from DeFi platforms to analytics firms and networks building their own execution environments on top of Ethereum.

Early adopters: Linea and Nansen

Initial deployments highlight how different projects can use the same framework in distinct ways. Consensys’ layer-2 network Linea is integrating stVaults to stake a portion of bridged ETH on Ethereum. In this setup, staking rewards are redirected toward liquidity providers and broader ecosystem incentives on the L2.

That said, Linea is not the only early partner. Blockchain analytics firm Nansen is using stVaults to launch its first Ethereum staking product, leveraging Lido’s infrastructure instead of running a fully independent pipeline.

Together, these examples show how nansen linea stvaults integrations may influence future staking designs, by aligning rewards with on-chain activity and community growth.

Liquidity, transparency and evolving staking demand

Lido emphasized that staked ETH on Lido via the main pool and any optional stETH minted through stVaults continue to benefit from established DeFi integrations. However, each vault can redirect yield or adjust validator policies according to its own mandate.

Moreover, stvaults liquidity benefits include keeping capital within a shared ecosystem, rather than pushing users into isolated staking silos. This may help maintain deeper markets for stETH and related instruments while allowing partners to innovate on top.

According to the chief of staking at the Lido Labs Foundation, demand for differentiated staking has grown as Ethereum matures. With stvaults validator configurations, they argue, the protocol can support varied user requirements within a single, transparent framework.

Outlook for Lido’s shared staking model

Strategy around lido staking integration now extends beyond a single product toward a platform model. External builders gain flexibility to shape rewards, security posture and governance, while tapping into Lido’s existing network effects across DeFi.

In summary, stVaults represent an attempt to balance customization with unified liquidity. If adoption grows among L2 networks, institutional players and application-specific projects, Lido’s shared staking architecture on Ethereum could become a central piece of the network’s evolving infrastructure.