Ethereum Leads Staking with $93.1 Billion Locked, Solana Follows with $61.4 Billion

Ethereum (ETH) has solidified its position as the leading cryptocurrency in terms of value staked, with an impressive $93.1 billion locked up in staking. This dominance underscores Ethereum's robust ecosystem and the confidence investors have in its long-term prospects. Ethereum also has a comparatively low reward rate of 2.98%, but its commanding market value and decades-long reputation in its network place it in the preferred list of institutional and retail stakers.

Solana (SOL) follows closely, securing the second position on the staking list with a big stake of $61.4 billion and an attractive 7.28% reward rate. This further emphasizes the growing trend of staking as a preferred method for earning passive rewards on idle crypto investments.

In the third place after Ethereum and Solana is SUI. SUI has a stake of $22.3 billion, a reward rate of 2.31%, which indicates its popularity among users and developers. Being a recent arrival, SUI has already found its way up the dApps hierarchy due to its object-oriented data model and scalable dApps.

BNB Chain comes fourth with $20.2 billion value in stakes and a reward rate of 1.22%. It implies great trust in its ecosystem, which is mainly caused by the usefulness of the Binance ecosystem and the current growth in the DeFi and GameFi applications on BNB Smart Chain.

One of the new decentralized derivatives platforms, Hyperliquid (HYPE), has amassed over $16.4 billion worth of staking, providing a small 2.29% incentive. Its very quick success indicates the demand in the market for innovative DEXs and perpetuals that offer on-chain transparency.

Cardano (ADA) is a stable participant in the world of staking with a total of $13 billion in value locked. With a 2.52% reward rate, ADA has taken its time to develop steadily and has a solid academic backing, encouraging a long-term belief in its protocol.

Tron (TRX) has $12.1 billion staked, with a 3.42 percent annualized yield, demonstrating its consistent control in managing large-volume stablecoin transactions and regional use in Asia.

Remarkably, Bitcoin (BTC) has joined the staking market with a value of $6.36 billion, but without the rewards rate. This is probably wrapped or synthetic BTC staked through third-party protocols, and not Bitcoin staking.

Aptos (APT), a Layer 1 project that is scalable and safe, has a staked value of $3.92B and a high reward of 7%. It is compelling developers of the next generation of DeFi and NFTs by using its Move language and modular infrastructure.

Both Avalanche (AVAX) and Polkadot (DOT) are also strongly positioned in staking, with a total amount of locked funds being $3.89B and $2.91B respectively. AVAX achieved the same reward rate as Solana, 7.28%, and DOT attains 11.8%.

Hedera (HBAR) has a staked value of $2.57B, and a close-to-zero reward rate of 0.03%. Although it has a low yield, it is still relevant in supply chain and payment solutions.

Bittensor (TAO) is one of the newer projects, having more than $2.25 billion staked and a reward rate higher than any other listed token of 15.5%. TAO is a protocol aimed at AI; it presents itself as a decentralized machine learning and innovation-driven roadmap.

IP is a potential competitor in Web3 intellectual property ecosystems, with a sustainable staking reward of 7.13 percent and a portfolio of $1.36 billion.

Last but not least is Sei (SEI) with $1.29B worth of staked value and a decent yield of 5.47 percent, which is becoming well-liked as a Layer 1 designed with high-efficiency DeFi trading.

The increasing institutional interest in Ethereum, coupled with the potential integration of staking in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), positions ETH as a top choice for staking. This trend is likely to continue as more investors seek stable and reliable returns in the volatile crypto market. The integration of staking in ETFs could provide a more accessible entry point for institutional investors, further boosting Ethereum's dominance in the staking landscape.

Newcomers to the staking scene are also making significant strides, gaining ground and challenging the established players. This influx of new participants indicates a maturing market where diverse options are available for investors looking to stake their crypto assets. The competition among these newcomers and the established leaders like Ethereum and Solana is likely to drive innovation and improve the overall staking experience for users.

The staking landscape in July 2025 reflects a dynamic and evolving market where Ethereum and Solana lead the way, but new entrants are quickly gaining traction. This competition is beneficial for investors as it encourages the development of more efficient and user-friendly staking platforms. As the market continues to grow, the focus on security, ease of use, and high returns will be crucial for platforms aiming to attract and retain users. The integration of staking in ETFs and the growing institutional interest in Ethereum further solidify its position as a dominant player in the staking ecosystem.