Aptos is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain designed to deliver scalability, safety, and user experience for decentralized applications. Built by a team of experienced engineers, Aptos leverages the Move programming language to enable parallel transaction execution, robust security, and high throughput.
The network aims to provide an accessible and developer-friendly environment, fostering innovation across Web3, DeFi, and gaming applications.
Staking APT is a simple and rewarding way to contribute to the Aptos network. By choosing Chorus One, you are staking with a trusted validator committed to reliability and performance.
Minimum Stake
You must delegate a minimum of 11 APT to begin staking
Lock-Up/Unbonding Period
Unlocking your APT takes 0 to 30 days. During this period, you will still earn staking rewards.
Rewards Payout
Rewards accrue over time and auto-compound to your staked balance.
Recommended Explorer
https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/?network=mainnet
Recommended Wallets
Petra, Pontem, or Aptos Connect — Full list seen here
Chorus One Validator
Validator Address Direct Link or 0xda418307cff595ced2af5eb471ec11b1ad6a4907ef57d6e2eeb253bdd5bd9d0d
ARR
Refer to Staking Rewards for current rates
Before you start staking APT, ensure you have the following:
Navigate to the Chorus One Aptos Validator or search for the validator address using Aptos explorer.
0xda418307cff595ced2af5eb471ec11b1ad6a4907ef57d6e2eeb253bdd5bd9d0d
From the Chorus One validator on the block explorer, connect your Petra wallet by clicking on 'Connect' in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen.
Once connected with your Petra wallet, you will see your address in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen.
As a delegator, you will earn rewards on your stake minus any commissions for the operator, and you can perform the following operations:
As a delegator, you can unlock your stake at any time. However, the stake will only become withdrawable after the delegation pool’s lockup period expires.
During this time, your unlocked stake will continue earning rewards until your stake becomes withdrawable.
Enter the amount of APT you wish to unlock (unstake).
Staking rewards vary based on network parameters, validator performance and the total staked amount. Please refer to Staking Rewards for the most up-to-date ARR information.
You can unstake your APT at any time. However, the stake can only be withdrawn after the delegation pool's lockup period expires. This can range from 0 to 30 days.
Yes, your APT staking rewards are auto-compounded. The commission is paid to the validator when delegators unstake their positions.
No, currently, slashing is not enabled on the Aptos Network.
Yes, you can increase the amount of APT you have staked or unstake a portion or all of it at any time. It will then undergo the unlocking period that ranges from 0 to 30 days.
As a world-leading staking provider and node operator, we’re excited to support this next phase of Ethereum and the opportunities it unlocks. In this article, we’ll explore what Pectra is, its impact on the staking economy, and how Chorus One is delivering best-in-class experiences for stakers in this new era.
Ready? Let's dive into the Pectra upgrade!
Pectra is a major milestone in Ethereum’s proof-of-stake evolution. By raising validator stake limits, enabling auto-compounding, introducing partial withdrawals, and accelerating activations, this upgrade makes staking more scalable, capital-efficient, and accessible for both solo stakers and institutional participants.
At the heart of Pectra is the massive increase in validator stake capacity. The upgrade’s marquee proposal, EIP-7251, raises a validator’s Maximum Effective Balance (MEB) from the rigid 32 ETH limit to 2,048 ETH, through the introduction of a new validator type using the 0x02 withdrawal prefix. This permits large node operators to consolidate into fewer validators, while allowing for compounding rewards, and more flexible increments for stakers operating under the new 2048 ETH limit.
It’s all about reductions. Reduced nodes leads to reduced network congestion, which further results in:
When a new node is added to the Ethereum network, all nodes must exchange attestations with it (P2P messages), and the beacon chain must store information about that validator (balance, status, etc.). All of this exponentially increases congestion as each new validator is added to the network.
Currently, there are approximately 1 million nodes on Ethereum, with around 32 million ETH staked. With Pectra, a single validator can secure up to 64× more ETH, allowing for the consolidation of dozens of separate validator instances into one. If all ETH were consolidated into 0x02 validators, the size of the validator set would go down to 15,625. This may seem like an extreme or unrealistic conversion rate, but we actually expect the conversion rate to be pretty high over time. Of the 32M ETH staked, nearly 13.3M is in Liquid Staking Protocols, pools that aggregate ETH from users, and as such are extremely likely to consolidate in order to reduce operational overhead and slashing risk. A large portion of the remaining ETH is held by institutional holders, CEXs, etc., with holdings in excess of 2048 ETH; which will also likely be consolidated.
So, there is actually a pretty good chance that over the next 12 months, the number of ETH nodes will go down by 100x, massively improving network efficiency.
The original Ethereum staking framework was rigid, with each validator capped at 32 ETH, and any rewards earned beyond this amount had no impact on returns. In order to optimize rewards, operators were required to manually withdraw funds and secure an additional 32 ETH before spinning up a new validator. With EIP-7251, these rewards can be automatically reinvested up to the new 2,048 ETH cap, allowing for auto-compounding of the staking rewards.
At the same time, this makes staking more flexible than ever. Instead of the fixed 32 ETH increments, stakers will be able to allocate any amount between 32 ETH and 2,048 ETH within a single validator. This means that a user with 40 ETH could stake their entire balance, as opposed to under the old framework, where they would have to secure an additional 22 ETH (for a total of 64) and spin up an entirely new validator. This benefits both individual stakers and large-scale operators, enhancing capital efficiency and allowing for more tailored staking strategies.
Historically, only validators could initiate exits, meaning stakers had to rely on node operators to process withdrawals. This created a trust dependency, particularly in staking-as-a-service models and pooled staking setups, where participants had limited control over their staked assets.
Pectra addresses this with EIP-7002, which allows the execution-layer withdrawal address to directly trigger validator exits. This means that instead of depending on validator operators, stakers can now independently initiate withdrawals, giving them greater control over their funds.
Beyond full exits, Pectra also refines partial withdrawals, allowing validators to seamlessly withdraw excess ETH beyond the 32 ETH staking requirement. Previously, while partial withdrawals were enabled in the Shanghai upgrade, they were processed in batches, sometimes leading to delays and inefficiencies. With Pectra, this process becomes more efficient, ensuring that staking rewards are automatically withdrawn without requiring validator intervention or disrupting staking activity.
By shifting exit control to the execution layer and optimizing partial withdrawals, Pectra enhances staker autonomy, reduces trust dependencies, and improves liquidity in Ethereum’s staking ecosystem.
Before Pectra, when users staked ETH, it remained in the deposit contract until it was processed and assigned to a validator, a process that could take hours or even days, leading to delays in activation.
Pectra improves this with EIP-6110, which embeds validator deposit data directly in execution layer blocks. This eliminates the need for validators to pull deposit data from the beacon chain separately, significantly reducing activation wait times. The benefits of this are:
This upgrade streamlines validator activations, making Ethereum’s staking process more efficient and responsive.
Currently, on Ethereum, the minimum slashing penalty (for double signing) is 1 ETH. This is calculated by dividing the effective balance by 32. Since the effective balance pre-Pectra is always 32, the slashing amount is almost always exactly 1 ETH.
However, with the stake limit changed to 2048 ETH, if a fully consolidated node is slashed, you could incur a 64 ETH penalty for each double sign. This penalty is very high and might disincentivize staking, harming overall network security.
To mitigate this, Pectra will change the slashing penalty to 1/4,096 of the total stake. So, if a node has the maximum effective balance (MEB) of 2048 and gets slashed, the new penalty would be 2048/4096, which amounts to 0.5 ETH. This lower penalty is to encourage the consolidation of validators by reducing risk. Effectively, with the Pectra upgrade, you have a higher ARR, initially at a lower slashing risk. However, this might change as the number of nodes comes down. This is a massive argument in favor of users switching to 0x02 validators.
With Pectra, Ethereum staking is entering a new era of efficiency, flexibility, and accessibility. In the next section, we’ll explore how Chorus One is implementing Pectra’s advancements to deliver higher rewards, seamless staking experiences, and cutting-edge innovations for our clients.
As mentioned previously, Pectra introduces a new validator type (0x02 prefix) that allows for larger stake limits, automated compounding, and operational efficiency. At Chorus One, we are committed to providing our clients with the most optimized staking experience, ensuring they fully benefit from these improvements while maintaining network integrity and performance.
We understand that different stakers have different needs. That’s why Chorus One will continue to support both validator prefix types (0x01 and 0x02). However, we strongly encourage our clients to transition to the 0x02 validator type, as it offers higher rewards through compounded rewards, while also enhancing network efficiency.
For existing Chorus One clients, we offer a smooth transition to Pectra’s 0x02 validator format. For new clients, if you’re considering moving your stake to Chorus One, enjoy a seamless onboarding process, where you can deploy a new 0x02 validator, maximizing staking efficiency from day one.
To ensure our clients experience the full benefit of Pectra’s compounding feature, Chorus One will implement a custom effective balance limit for 0x02 validators, set at 1910 ETH. This accounts for around 2 years of compounding rewards at a rate of 3.5% annualized, before reaching the 2048 ETH cap, allowing for sustained reward optimization.
At Chorus One, we optimize staking operations in order to maximize performance and rewards. Through leading early-stage research, collaboration with other industry leaders, and advanced testing of new implementations, we aim to provide our clients with the highest possible returns, while actively contributing to Ethereum’s long-term security and efficiency.
Ethereum validators play a crucial role in Maximal Extractable Value (MEV). Our team is at the forefront of reward optimization for our stakers. In 2024, we worked on our proprietary mev-boost fork called Adagio. Our research showed that Adagio delivered a total improvement of 16.67% in MEV rewards from June 2024 until the end of the year. To learn more, click here.
In 2025, we stopped using the Adagio model as relays began to exploit timing games. Our focus has now shifted to optimizing connectivity to relays rather than fine-tuning timing parameters. Since then, we’ve focused on:
This way, we’re able to optimize for rewards and performance for our stakers.
We stay ahead of the curve by actively testing and implementing groundbreaking technologies that enhance staking rewards. Working alongside key players, including Chainbound/Bold, Primev, and ETHGas, we stay vigilant in testing and implementing cutting-edge solutions. In fact, Chorus One led the first-ever preconfirmations using Bolt during the ZuBerlin and Helder testnets.
We have since continued to conduct and share our research, with the most recent additions being our research paper on Pricing Transactions for Preconfirmations. You can also try out our preconfs dashboard, which allows you to test pricing strategies across more than 400k transactions. Plus, access our very own Random Forest Model, which outperformed even the Geth’s heuristics-based transaction fee-pricing.
We provide unique opportunities to enhance staking rewards through Distributed Validator Technology (DVT), in collaboration with industry leaders such as Obol and SSV. Our deep involvement in Ethereum research and development positions us as the most capable and reliable staking operator.
Want to start maximizing your ETH staking rewards with a leading staking provider?
This wouldn't be an analysis of Pectra without addressing the elephant in the room, Holesky. On Monday, February 24, 2025, the Pectra upgrade was activated on the Holesky testnet. Unfortunately, a bug in specific Execution Layer (EL) clients (specifically Geth, Nethermind, and Besu) caused them to use the wrong deposit contract address. As a result, these clients processed a block incorrectly, leading to a network split where:
This divergence created two chains:
Because most validators followed the incorrect chain, the overall network health degraded, making it difficult for nodes to sync to the correct chain and potentially undermining the reliability of testnet transactions.
To resolve the issue, Ethereum developers proposed a coordinated slashing approach. The plan aimed to:
Holesky validators were instructed to update their clients to patched versions, sync to the valid chain and disable slashing protection by slot 3737760 to enable attestations to the correct chain.
A coordination call was scheduled to guide node operators, with Chorus One among the participants. Unfortunately, this slashing experiment failed, leaving Holesky in a prolonged period of instability.
In response, Ethereum developers launched a new testnet called Hoodi in late March 2025. Chorus One became one of the 29 Hoodi genesis validators to help with the network’s launch and to be among the first entities active on the new testnet for Pectra. Hoodi mirrors mainnet conditions more closely, with a similar validator count and infrastructure. Pectra was deployed there and finalized just 30 minutes after activation, a sharp contrast to the Holesky failure. Hoodi is now expected to replace Holesky as Ethereum’s primary public testnet later this year.
The Hoodi deployment serves as the final dress rehearsal for Pectra.
The Pectra Hardfork represents a watershed moment for Ethereum, redefining what’s possible for both individual stakers and large-scale institutions. As a leading validator service provider, Chorus One stands at the forefront of these changes, offering modern solutions that transform the way you stake and manage your crypto assets.
If you’re ready to experience optimal performance, higher rewards, and a truly next-gen staking platform, contact us or visit our website to learn more about how Chorus One can help you thrive in the Pectra era. Let’s enter this exciting new chapter of Ethereum staking together.
As crypto readies for its next market cycle, The Open Network (TON) has emerged as a breakout Layer 1. With Telegram’s billion-strong user base and a rapidly expanding ecosystem, TON is a cultural and technical force, staking its claim in the new era of blockchain innovation.
But while user adoption accelerates, staking infrastructure lags behind, impacting capital efficiency and limiting engagement from institutional players.
That’s where Chorus One ("Chorus") comes in.
Earlier this year, Chorus launched TON Pool—a fully-audited, MiCA-aligned, and highly scalable staking solution, purpose-built for institutions.
While many are still finding their footing in TON’s rapidly-growing ecosystem, TON Pool is live, operational, and set to drive the next wave of institutional adoption on the Open Network.
Despite TON’s strong fundamentals, staking continues to pose significant barriers for enterprises, custodians, and funds.
These constraints leave a massive opportunity on the table: secure, scalable staking infrastructure with the ability to support institutional requirements.
Enter TON Pool.
TON Pool eliminates the friction that once defined, and hindered, staking on TON—bringing together compliance-first architecture, performance optimization, and developer-ready integrations. Here’s what sets it apart:
MiCA-Aligned Compliance
Unlike LST-based alternatives, TON Pool enables pure delegation—avoiding tokenized representations entirely. This structure aligns with the EU’s MiCA regulation and emerging compliance standards worldwide.
Audited and Verified
All smart contracts are fully audited by Spearbit, with ongoing optimizations aimed at maximizing annualized staking returns (ARR).
Scalable by Design
SDK & API Integration
With a native SDK and API, TON Pool can be embedded directly into wallets, custodians, and exchanges—offering staking as a seamless, on-platform experience.
Live & Ready to Go
TON Pool is live, and set to integrate with regulated partners, including custodians, exchanges, and asset managers.
One of Chorus’ main focuses has been to work alongside regulators to ensure alignment, and establish best practices. Earlier this year, Chorus One led TON staking workshops with key stakeholders in the United Arab Emirates, including a presentation to the Global Blockchain Congress in Dubai. The goal: building staking infrastructure that anticipates regulatory evolution rather than trying to retrofit around it.
This proactive engagement has directly informed TON Pool’s architecture, ensuring it doesn’t just meet today’s compliance expectations, but is positioned to evolve with tomorrow’s.
Interested in learning more? Reach out to staking@chorus.one.
Chorus One stands among the world’s leading staking providers, trusted by institutions, foundations, and protocols since 2018. A pioneer within the staking economy, Chorus One’s research-first approach has made it a household name in leading ecosystems including Ethereum, Solana, and Cosmos. With approximately $1.7 billion in assets staked across 40+ networks, Chorus One builds and operates secure, performant, and regulatory-first infrastructure.
TON Pool is the latest expression of that mission—bringing scalable, compliant staking solutions to TON’s rapidly growing ecosystem. Whether enabling direct delegation or powering white label integrations for custodians, Chorus One is committed to making staking simple, accessible, and institution-ready.
Chorus has made it clear that this is just the beginning, with a robust roadmap outlined over the next few months. Here’s what to look forward to:
To learn more about TON Pool, as well as Chorus’ full suite of staking products, check out the Staking & Institutional Social - Dubai Edition. Chorus’ signature event series returns, co-hosted by KuCoin and FordeFi, on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 at the auspicious TODA - Theatre of Digital Art, Dubai. Dive into the nuances of the staking economy, network with some of the industry’s brightest, and enjoy a wonderful evening, all against the beautiful backdrop of Dubai during 2049.
Spots are limited. Request to join here!
Proof-of-Stake is evolving: more regulated, more composable, more embedded into the products institutions use every day.
Built for compliance, designed for scale, and already delivering value across the TON ecosystem, TON Pool by Chorus One is the infrastructure layer the next phase of crypto needs.
Ready for the next phase of TON Staking?
👉 [Register Now]
Nillion has officially launched its mainnet, ushering in a new era of private, decentralized computation. Chorus One has supported the network since early days, including the Genesis Sprint and Catalyst Convergence phases. With the mainnet launch, we are now proud to join the network as a Genesis Validator, and support $NIL staking from day one!
If you're looking for a trusted validator, backed by a team of 35+ engineers committed to delivering a best-in-class staking experience, select the Chorus One validator and start staking with us today!
The rapid expansion of AI-driven applications and platforms in has revolutionized everything from email composition to the rise of virtual influencers. AI has permeated countless aspects of our daily lives, offering unprecedented convenience and capabilities. However, with this explosive growth comes an increasingly urgent question: How can we enjoy the benefits of AI without compromising our privacy? This concern extends beyond AI to other domains where sensitive data exchange is critical, such as healthcare, identity verification, and trading. While privacy is often viewed as an impediment to these use cases, Nillion posits that it can actually be an enabler. In this article, we'll delve into the current challenges surrounding private data exchange, how Nillion addresses these issues, and explore the potential it unlocks.
Privacy in blockchain technology is not a novel concept. Over the years, several protocols have emerged, offering solutions like private transactions and obfuscation of user identities. However, privacy extends far beyond financial transactions. It could be argued that privacy has the potential to unlock a multitude of non-financial use cases—if only we could compute on private data without compromising its confidentiality. Feeding private data into generative AI platforms or allowing them to train on user-generated content raises significant privacy concerns.
Every day, we unknowingly share fragments of our data through various channels. This data can be categorized into three broad types:
The publicly shared data has fueled the growth of social media and the internet, generating billions of dollars in economic value and creating jobs. Companies have capitalized on this data to improve algorithms and enhance targeted advertising, leading to a concentration of data within a few powerful entities, as evidenced by scandals like Cambridge Analytica. Users, often unaware of the implications, continue to feed these data monopolies, further entrenching their dominance. With the rise of AI wearables, the potential for privacy invasion only increases.
As awareness of the importance of privacy grows, it becomes clear that while people are generally comfortable with their data being used, they want its contents to remain confidential. This desire for privacy presents a significant challenge: how can we allow services to use data without revealing the underlying information? Traditional encryption methods require decryption before computation, which introduces security vulnerabilities and increases the risk of data misuse.
Another critical issue is the concentration of sensitive data. Ideally, high-value data should be decentralized to avoid central points of failure, but sharing data across multiple parties or nodes raises concerns about efficiency and consistent security standards.
This is where Nillion comes in. While blockchains have decentralized transactions, Nillion seeks to decentralize high-value data itself.
Nillion is a secure computation network designed to decentralize trust for high-value data. It addresses privacy challenges by leveraging Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs), particularly Multi-Party Computation (MPC). These PETs enable users to securely store high-value data on Nillion's peer-to-peer network of nodes and allow computations to be executed on the masked data itself. This approach eliminates the need to decrypt data prior to computation, thereby enhancing the security of sensitive information.
The Nillion network enables computations on hidden data, unlocking new possibilities across various sectors. Early adopters in the Nillion community are already building tools for private predictive AI, secure storage and compute solutions for healthcare, password management, and trading data. Developers can create applications and services that utilize PETs like MPC to perform blind computations on private user data without revealing it to the network or other users.
The Nillion Network operates through two interdependent layers:
When decentralized applications (dApps) or other blockchain networks require privacy-enhanced data (e.g., blind computations), they must pay in $NIL, the network's native token. The Coordination Layer's nodes manage the payments between the dApp and the Petnet, while infrastructure providers on the Petnet are rewarded in $NIL for securely storing data and performing computations.
The Coordination Layer functions as a Cosmos chain, with infrastructure providers staking $NIL to secure the network, just like in other Cosmos-based chains. This dual-layer architecture ensures that Nillion can scale effectively while maintaining robust security and privacy standards.
At the heart of Nillion's architecture is the concept of clustering. Each cluster consists of a variable number of nodes tailored to meet specific security, cost, and performance requirements. Unlike traditional blockchains, Nillion's compute network does not rely on a global shared state, allowing it to scale both vertically and horizontally. As demand for storage or compute power increases, clusters can scale up their infrastructure or new clusters of nodes can be added.
Clusters can be specialized to handle different types of requests, such as provisioning large amounts of storage for secrets or utilizing specific hardware to accelerate particular computations. This flexibility enables the Nillion network to adapt to various use cases and workloads.
$NIL is the governance and staking token of the Nillion network, playing a crucial role in securing and managing the network. Its primary functions include:
Nillion's advanced data privacy capabilities open up a wide range of potential use cases, both within and beyond the crypto space:
Chorus One is a genesis validator on the Nillion mainnet, and is officially supporting $NIL staking. To stake your $NIL with us, select the Chorus One validator at the link below, and begin staking with us today!
