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Introduction

A StakeWise Vault is a highly customizable, non-custodial staking pool that accepts ETH from depositors, processes staking rewards, and lets users withdraw anytime. There are two types of Vault: a Regular Vault, which runs validators to secure the Ethereum network and earn rewards, and a Meta Vault, which doesn't run validators itself and instead allocates stake across multiple sub-vaults.

Anyone — from solo stakers to professional node operators and institutions managing thousands of ETH — can create a Vault via app.stakewise.io ↗. It is fully permissionless and trustless. All staking logic is enforced by immutable smart contracts on-chain. StakeWise infrastructure ↗ already powers staking solutions deployed by MetaMask ↗ and Chorus One ↗.

Why Operate a Vault?​

Vaults support a wide range of staking use cases. A few common examples:

  • Stake for yourself — Run your own validators, keep 100% of rewards, and stay liquid by minting osETH — an overcollateralized liquid staking token you can use across DeFi ↗ to earn additional rewards.
  • Offer staking to others — Accept deposits and earn fees, or launch a white-label staking product powered by StakeWise smart contracts.
  • Institutional or DAO treasury staking — Configure compliance controls, gate access with a Private or Block list, and optionally issue an ERC-20 Vault token.
  • Scale with Meta Vaults — Delegate deposits across multiple sub-vaults without running validators yourself, unlocking modular staking strategies.

What Can I Earn?​

What you can earn depends on your strategy but your earnings mainly consist of:

  • Vault fee — a configurable percentage of staking rewards, paid automatically in Vault shares when the Vault state is updated. Operators choose their fee at Vault creation (up to 100%). After launch, fee increases are rate-limited to 20% of the current fee every 3 days, protecting depositors from sudden hikes. Earned fees can be claimed and distributed to shareholders without manual intervention.
IconExample

A Vault with 1,000 ETH staked at ~3.5% APY and a 5% fee earns approximately 1.75 ETH/year in operator fees. At 10,000 ETH, that becomes 17.5 ETH/year.

  • MEV rewards — Choose between the Smoothing Pool (rewards are shared across participating Vaults proportional to their size, more consistent) or Own MEV Escrow (your Vault keeps all its MEV, higher upside but more variable).

What Are the Costs?​

Costs depend on your Vault type (Regular or Meta) and whether you run the node yourself or delegate to a third party. Since Meta Vaults don't run validators, they skip the infrastructure cost, but they still need a funded operator wallet to cover gas for their operations.

  • Infrastructure — As of March 2026, running a node requires a dedicated machine with at least 64 GB of RAM, a 4TB SSD, and a stable internet connection. You can use pre-built staking hardware like Home x StakeWise Pro ↗, rent a cloud server, or delegate node operations to a third party — in which case your costs depend on your arrangement with the provider.
  • Gas — The Operator Service submits on-chain transactions funded from your operator wallet. Gas costs are minimal during normal network conditions and fluctuate with congestion. Check the Ethereum Gas Tracker ↗ for current rates.

What Are the Responsibilities?​

Operating a Vault is a commitment. Your Vault's performance is ultimately your responsibility. If you run a Regular Vault, you (or the node operator you delegate to) are responsible for the full validator stack. If you run a Meta Vault, you don't manage validators — the sub-vaults do. Both Regular and Meta Vaults rely on the Operator Service to automate day-to-day Vault operations.

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