Staking is the future of Ethereum as the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency transitions from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake. Right now, staking requires some upkeep and a bit of technical knowledge. However, there are multiple services that help you get started with staking right away.

Ethereum 2.0

Ethereum was built as a platform to execute smart contracts and blockchain applications. The execution itself is similar to Bitcoin. With proof-of-work, miners run expensive and energy-intensive mining rigs that would solve complex mathematical problems, along with maintaining the network and validating transactions. The idea is that to attack the network, someone would require an immense amount of computing power. This might be good for something like Bitcoin. But with complex applications of Ethereum, it is not enough.

So in comes Proof-of-stake (PoS). With this, validators stake a particular amount of ETH (32 ETH) to validate transactions. This ensures that everyone stays in line and does not try to attack the network. In order to attack the network, someone would need more than 51% of the validators, each with 32ETH staked to do so. Once again, it would be incredibly expensive or even impossible to do it, deterring bad actors.

PoS brings in similar security to PoW, while increasing the transaction speeds and decreasing transaction costs.

Ethereum 2.0 is a multi-stage update, which is not completely live yet. However, it is ready for staking and get rewards.

Ethereum 2.0

Staking Services

You can set up your own server and maintain it if you want to. However, the easier solution is to just use a staking service. Here are some of the Best Ethereum 2.0 Staking Services:

Coinbase
Binance UK
Stake Fish
ANKR Staking
Bloq Staking

Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges here in the UK. Once you sign up, Coinbase takes care of everything related to staking your ETH. There is also no minimum ETH to stake. It is a good choice if you do not have a lot of ETH to stake, as if you had to do the staking yourself, you’d have to stake a minimum of 32 ETH.

While Coinbase is a convenient place for staking, it is not available for everyone yet. There is still a huge waitlist, and there’s no word from Coinbase as to when it would be open for everyone. So if you’re willing to wait for an undefined date and only want to use Coinbase, you can do so.

Binance UK

Binance is currently on a slippery slope in UK. It is still legal for Binance to operate in the UK, but various banks have started blocking payments to Binance. It does not affect staking, though.

While Binance is another convenient option for staking, it comes with its own set of quirks. You can stake as low as 0.1 ETH and receive daily rewards. However, the catch is that you cannot withdraw your stake till Ethereum 2.0 fully launches and no one knows when exactly the launch would happen.

Stake Fish

Stake Fish offers staking services for people who want to run complete validators, but don’t want to go through the hassle of setting them up. So you need to invest a minimum of 32 ETH to run 1 validator, 64 ETH for 2, and so on.

Stake Fish is attractive for now as they charge a flat fee of 0.1 ETH per validator. However, this price is only until Ethereum 2.0 actually launches. Until then, Stake Fish also does not allow for withdrawals.

ANKR Staking

ANKR is another Ethereum 2.0 staking service that has been gaining popularity. You can invest as little as 0.5 ETH and ANKR automatically matches you with the best pools for optimised returns. Like some of the other services, you cannot remove your staked Ethereum. However, ANKR gives you another alternate token called aETHc which represents your stake. You can trade this token in open markets if you want to retrieve your funds.

Bloq Staking

Bloq Staking is a non-custodial Ethereum staking service. Meaning, Bloq has no control of your funds. This puts bloq in a much different position than any of the above services. You’ll need the full 32 ETH to set up the node, and Bloq has a setup process. While the setup process is not too complex, it is not as simple as some of the other services which let you get started in less than 4-5 clicks. However, Bloq makes up for that by offering their services for free.

If you’re willing to spend some time, Bloq is the best option out there. We don’t believe it is the best because it is free. Instead, we believe it is the best service that makes a non-custodial solution for staking Ethereum very simple.