Staking-as-a-Service Partners

Staking-as-a-service operators — exchanges, custodians, and dedicated staking platforms — bring delegators to the network at scale. This page covers what is different about offering VirtEngine staking versus a generic Cosmos-SDK chain.

What is standard

If you already operate Cosmos-ecosystem validators, the fundamentals carry over: CometBFT consensus, bonded proof of stake, delegation, commission, a 21-day unbonding period, and slashing for double-signing and downtime. Your existing key-management, sentry, and monitoring architecture applies.

What is different on VirtEngine

1. VEID-gated validator onboarding. Validator onboarding is a high-risk action under VEID policy — expect attestation-required identity verification of the operating entity, not an anonymous validator key. See Enrollment & Capture Flow.

2. Verification participation requires readiness. Validators that participate in identity-verification work must track approved verifier versions in x/veidregistry and report readiness. Compensation follows the governance-controlled conservative incentive policy; no fixed pool or yield is promised.

3. Governance is operationally dense. HPC template approvals and verifier version approvals arrive as routine security-review votes (see Governance Participation). Delegators inherit your vote — enterprise customers will ask about your governance policy.

4. Variable rewards. The proposed staking allocation is roughly 90% lower than the previous model. Do not market fixed yields; parameters are set through governance (see Staking Economics).

Product and disclosure checklist

• Unbonding disclosure — customers must understand the 21-day illiquidity window and that unbonding stake earns nothing.
• Slashing pass-through — be explicit about whether your product absorbs or passes through slashing losses; delegated stake is slashed with the validator (see Slashing Risks).
• Commission transparency — on-chain commission history is public; ensure your fee disclosures match it.
• No return guarantees — represent rewards as governance-controlled, variable protocol parameters.

Network status caveat

Before offering VirtEngine staking to customers, verify the network’s launch state directly against the repository’s posture. TestNet is planned for January 2027; MainNet is planned for March 2027 after TestNet exit criteria and a separate production approval. Nothing here confirms either network is live, and TestNet staking does not create MainNet balances or production guarantees. See Network Launch Schedule.