Welcome to Behind the Blocks, our series showcasing the stories of the talented people behind Chorus One. We’re diving into their backgrounds, their day-to-day challenges, and what makes Chorus One an exciting place to grow.
In this second edition, we’re featuring Alexis Tabak, a member of our sales team who brings a unique blend of private investigation and sales expertise to the fast-paced world of crypto. Alexis shares her journey, her passion for authentic relationship-building, and her role in expanding Chorus One’s presence in the U.S.
Q: Could you share a bit about your role in the sales team at Chorus One? What does your typical day look like?
Alexis: I joined Chorus One to help expand our reach in the U.S., where the company had little presence. I came from a background in private investigation and security, and when my business slowed down around 2020, I started exploring crypto. I was fascinated by how retail users interacted with platforms, and I wanted to learn more. In 2022, a friend introduced me to Chorus One. I was impressed with the intelligence of the team and quickly realized Chorus One was truly crypto-native, with a finger on the pulse of the industry. I love the freedom and autonomy here and the ability to share the Chorus One vision with new markets. My role gives me the flexibility to travel, attend industry events, and connect with people globally to promote our work.
Q: What was your path to Chorus One like, and what excites you most about working in crypto?
Alexis: I spent years in private investigation and security, working with a range of clients, including high-profile security contracts and PPP loans. But as I started exploring crypto, I became captivated by AML patterns and retail engagement with platforms. I wanted to dive deeper, and when I learned about Chorus One’s reputation as a crypto-native company, I knew it was the place for me. The chance to bring Chorus One’s vision to the U.S. market and connect with a global team was too good to pass up. I love the authenticity of Chorus One—we care deeply about the ecosystems we support, and it’s clear we’re not here just for profit.
Q: Can you tell us about a memorable client interaction or project?
Alexis:One standout moment was at ConsenSys 2023. We wanted to make a splash, so we brought an alpaca to our booth, which ended up drawing clients and even press coverage from Coindesk. That sense of fun and originality is something I love about this industry. Another memorable interaction was with a VC fund manager who was initially hesitant. I followed his work closely, engaged with his writing on Twitter, and eventually met him at a dinner event. I joke that I was a “glorified stalker,” but it paid off—he ended up tripling his position with us. I love building genuine relationships, especially with smaller clients, because it gives us valuable feedback and a real sense of how we’re doing.
Q: How does your role contribute to Chorus One’s mission and the larger Web3 ecosystem?
Alexis: As a woman in a mostly male-dominated industry, I try to make sure our voice is heard at key industry events. I’m committed to representing Chorus One authentically. I speak on panels, promote my colleagues’ research, and even hosted a women’s dinner at Permissionless. The support from Chorus One has been fantastic; they genuinely encourage me to take the lead on these initiatives. Being out there, sharing our knowledge and transparency, adds to the demand for what we offer and builds trust in our brand. My goal is to educate myself on the staking ecosystem and ensure that I can convey what makes us unique.
Q: What makes Chorus One unique compared to other staking providers?
Alexis: Our knowledge and deep commitment to the networks we support set us apart. At Chorus One, we care about the broader impact of crypto. The founders didn’t come here to sell the company—they’re here for the technology and what it can bring to decentralized finance. Our research and ventures teams are central to this, too. We’re one of the few teams doing in-depth research on MEV and collaborating with foundations, and we onboard 3-5 networks per quarter. This is the kind of insight and dedication that our clients value.
Q: How does the sales team collaborate with other departments to bring value to clients?
Alexis: Collaboration with our research and ventures teams is essential. Our research team produces some of the highest-level content in the industry, and it’s a huge selling point for our customers. We’re the only staking provider with an MEV quant, and our researchers help us break down complex insights so they’re easier to communicate. This unique blend of research-backed sales and technical insight really sets us apart and gives clients confidence that we’re at the forefront of the space.
Q: What resources or support have been most valuable to you in achieving your goals at Chorus One?
Alexis: Leadership support has been invaluable. Our CEO’s experience in the space for over a decade has been a huge inspiration, as our Head of Sales’s technical expertise on the sales side. Beyond mentorship, Chorus One has provided great resources, like access to sales DeFi courses, industry meetups, and conferences that help deepen my Web3 knowledge. I’ve also had the opportunity to host Chorus One podcast which promotes our brand and connects with more people. These opportunities have helped me grow my skills and strengthen my understanding of the industry.
Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to join the sales team at Chorus One or in Web3?
Alexis: My advice is to bring your unique energy and strengths to the table—don’t hold back. Persistence and a strong work ethic are essential, especially in a fast-evolving space like Web3. Chorus One is crypto-native to its core, so it’s important to have a genuine passion for the industry. Be authentic, add a little “razzle-dazzle,” and show what makes you stand out.
Q: What are you most excited about in terms of Chorus One’s growth and the future of the industry?
Alexis: The growth potential is incredible. Staking is only gaining momentum, and traditional institutions are beginning to explore it too, which is a huge validation. I’m excited for Chorus One to expand our network support and see Chorus Ventures grow into a larger fund. As a top-tier staking provider, we are set up to support more traditional sophisticated institutions who are ready to stake, and I believe we’re on the path to achieving that. This industry is like a rocket ship—there’s no limit to where it can go, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.
About Chorus One
Chorus One is one of the largest institutional staking providers globally, operating infrastructure for over 60 Proof-of-Stake (PoS) networks, including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, Near, and others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry, offering easy-to-use, enterprise-grade staking solutions, conducting industry-leading research, and investing in innovative protocols through Chorus One Ventures. As an ISO 27001 certified provider, Chorus One also offers slashing and double-signing insurance to its institutional clients. For more information, visit chorus.one or follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram.
Behind the Blocks is where we highlight the extraordinary individuals who make Chorus One more than just a workplace—it’s a space where passion meets purpose. "When I joined in 2022," says Chief People Officer, Flora Bondici, "I was drawn not only to the innovative work in decentralized infrastructure but also to the opportunity to be part of something deeply meaningful. At Chorus One, a career is more than a job—it’s a journey of growth, learning, and making a real impact."
As a fully remote and globally diverse team, we empower our people to thrive on their own terms. In this series, you’ll meet inspiring team members like Thalita Franklin, who entered Web3 through a developer course we sponsored, alongside others who’ve forged unique paths into blockchain. Their journeys reflect a culture built on transparency, collaboration, and curiosity. Let’s dive into Thalita’s story and explore how her work is shaping the future of decentralized technology.
From Web2 to Web3: Thalita’s Journey to Chorus One
Today, we’re excited to feature Thalita Franklin, Networks Lead at Chorus One. From Brazil to Portugal, Thalita’s journey into Web3 started with a unique opportunity—a one-month Web3 developer course sponsored by Chorus One. Now a key leader in the company, Thalita shares how that opportunity opened the door to a thriving career in blockchain, and how her work continues to make an impact across the ecosystem.
Q: How long have you been with Chorus One, and what’s your role? What does your day-to-day look like?
Thalita: I’ve been with Chorus One for 2,8 years, but it all started when I applied for a one-month Web3 developer course. Chorus One sponsored 10 women, and I was lucky enough to be one of them. That experience introduced me to the world of blockchain and gave me a chance to prove myself. I started working on Solana as a Research Analyst, but now I’m the Networks Lead. My day-to-day involves a mix of deep work in the mornings, being in between the business and engineering, handling projects like staking research, and meetings with internal teams and external partners to explore investment opportunities or new networks we’re looking at.
Q: Can you tell us more about that initial course and how it shaped your journey?
Thalita: Absolutely. Before joining Chorus One, I was living in Brazil and didn’t have much experience in Web3. When I saw the opportunity for the Web3 developer course, I knew I had to apply. The fact that Chorus One was sponsoring women to join the space really stood out to me. During my initial 3 months with Chorus One, I found out about MEV and started working on a project focused on MEV (learn more), after I joined, which was my introduction to how complex and exciting the blockchain space has become. The course gave me the confidence and skills I needed to step into this field. It was an incredible launchpad that led to where I am today.
Q: What’s it like being a Networks Lead at Chorus One? Can you walk us through your typical day?
Thalita: Being a Networks Lead is both challenging and rewarding. I focus a lot on analyzing new staking opportunities and keeping up with our live networks like Solana and Cosmos. My mornings are all about focus—whether it’s research or preparing for the day’s meetings. I have most of my meetings around midday due to different time zones, and those can range from internal strategy sessions to calls with networks we’re looking to partner with. I also work closely with the ventures team to explore potential investments, which keeps things really interesting.
Q: What’s one of the most exciting projects you’ve worked on, and why did it stand out?
Thalita: I’d say the Solana project was the most exciting. When I first started, many people were skeptical about Solana’s potential, but Chorus One believed in it. I got heavily involved in the research and educational content creation for Solana, which was a big part of getting people to see the value in the project. Watching Solana grow and survive through challenges was incredibly fulfilling. It showed me that research and education could really make a difference. Plus, I enjoyed hosting podcasts about it—getting to communicate the value of these networks to a broader audience is something I love.
Q: Can you share a moment when your research directly influenced a major decision at Chorus One?
Thalita: A big one was our work on MEV. I was involved in researching and creating educational materials about it, and it became clear how important MEV was to the validator ecosystem. This work helped Chorus One adjust our strategy, not just in how we provide infrastructure, but in how we approach new networks and educate our partners and the broader community. It was one of those moments where you can see your research shaping decisions that impact the entire company.
Q: Beyond Chorus One, how does your work impact the broader ecosystem?
Thalita: Our role as validators goes beyond just running nodes. We try to contribute to the broader conversation around blockchain economics and how validators can provide more than just infrastructure. For example, our educational work on MEV and other topics has helped the community better understand the increasing complexity of the new trends. It’s important to me that the work I do has a ripple effect beyond Chorus One, whether it’s through writing articles, giving feedback to networks, or sharing insights on podcasts.
Q: You work closely with many teams across Chorus One. What’s been your favorite moment of collaboration?
Thalita: One of the best moments was to find myself having casual dinners at the beach with Gabriella, Maria and other team members. It’s through these informal moments that remind me how connected we are as a team. In terms of work, I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with the ventures team. We work together to evaluate potential investments and decide which networks we should get involved in. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how those collaborations lead to tangible growth for Chorus One.
Q: How has Chorus One supported your career and personal growth?
Thalita: Chorus One has been amazing in helping me grow. When I first joined Web3, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to focus on development or something else, but they gave me the room to explore. Over time, I found my strengths in leading network research, and they’ve supported me all the way. On a personal level, moving from Brazil to Portugal was a big step, but the team was so supportive. Being closer to the team has helped me feel more empowered in my role.
About Chorus One
Chorus One is one of the largest institutional staking providers globally, operating infrastructure for over 60 Proof-of-Stake (PoS) networks, including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, Near, and others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry, offering easy-to-use, enterprise-grade staking solutions, conducting industry-leading research, and investing in innovative protocols through Chorus One Ventures. As an ISO 27001 certified provider, Chorus One also offers slashing and double-signing insurance to its institutional clients. For more information, visit chorus.one or follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram.
Our latest episode welcomes Bo Du, Founder of Polymer Labs! 🔥
In this episode of the Chorus One Podcast, hosted by our Research Analyst, Kam Benbrik, Bo shares his journey from Web 2.0 to DeFi and discusses the mission of Polymer Labs in enhancing blockchain interoperability.
Key topics include the intricacies of rollup mechanisms (OP stack vs. Arbitrum), the importance and challenges of blockchain interoperability, and Polymer's integration with the Cosmos ecosystem. Bo also explores the future of scalable infrastructure, the trade-offs in decentralizing sequencers, the economic implications of ZK technology, and the incentivization of relayers in the IBC ecosystem.
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Solana's Next Big Moves: From Memecoins to Staking—What's Coming Next?
Exploring Marinade V2 and the state of Solana Staking
Unlocking Bitcoin's Potential with Stacks: Smart Contracts, Finality, and sBTC
About Chorus One
Chorus One is one of the largest institutional staking providers globally, operating infrastructure for over 60 Proof-of-Stake (PoS) networks, including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, Near, and others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry, offering easy-to-use, enterprise-grade staking solutions, conducting industry-leading research, and investing in innovative protocols through Chorus One Ventures. As an ISO 27001 certified provider, Chorus One also offers slashing and double-signing insurance to its institutional clients. For more information, visit chorus.one or follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram.
On June 4th 2024, the Tezos blockchain successfully activated the Paris protocol upgrade proposal at block 5,726,209. This marks a new era for the chain, with significant effects on its Proof-of-Stake model in three key areas: Faster Finality, Higher Scalability, Stronger PoS.
We will focus this guide on the last point, and describe the new PoS mechanism brought by this upgrade, as it has a significant impact on the staking rewards that can be accrued on the blockchain.
For this upgrade, a new mechanism called “Adaptive Issuance and Staking“ has been implemented, which sets a new calendar for the inflation rewarded to bakers as well as a new staking system, adapting the economics of Tezos to fit better with real-world usage.
Adaptive Issuance means that staking rewards are no longer issued at a fixed (constant) rate, but instead will adjust depending on the share of total supply involved in staking. At the end of each cycle, the protocol adjusts reward values automatically, in order to bring the staked funds ratio towards a chosen target (50% in Paris).
Staker has also been introduced as a new role along with Adaptive Issuance. As a reminder, Tezos previously only allowed bakers (or delegators) to receive rewards through their assets. Like delegators, stakers delegate consensus and voting rights to a chosen baker. Unlike delegators, they can stake funds, which count towards their baker’s staking balance. Staked funds are frozen, and subject to slashing if the baker misbehaves.
With the new mechanism, staked funds are worth twice as much as delegated funds for the computation of consensus rights. Rewards arising from stakes are accrued automatically by the economic protocol for both bakers and stakers alike.
The other side of this coin is Adaptive Slashing. As stakers are subject to slashing if their chosen bakers misbehaves, the effect of penalties extends to more users. It becomes important then to differentiate between sporadic incidents arising from involuntary errors, from malicious, sustained attacks. This new mechanism then introduces changes in how penalties for double-signing consensus operations are computed, adapting to the fraction of the total attesting stake involved (more stake, higher penalties).
We recommend all delegators to familiarize themselves with the changes implemented in this Tezos Paris upgrade: Quick Start Guide for Adaptive Issuance.
On our side, Chorus One has implemented the Paris upgrade and is now accepting stakers. Through the previous guide, you will be able to complete the steps needed to start staking on Tezos and avoid any diminished rewards due to the new issuance model.
Please contact us if you have any issues.
About Chorus One
Chorus One is one of the biggest institutional staking providers globally, operating infrastructure for 60+ Proof-of-Stake networks, including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, and Near, amongst others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry and now offer easy enterprise-grade staking solutions, industry-leading research, and also invest in some of the most cutting-edge protocols through Chorus Ventures. We are a team of over 50 passionate individuals spread throughout the globe who believe in the transformative power of blockchain technology.
We're excited to announce the launch of "Staking Synopsis", a series dedicated to keeping Ethereum stakers and enthusiasts informed about the latest updates in ETH staking, including the developments at Chorus One.
With the highly anticipated launch of EigenLayer's Mainnet scheduled for April, and its rising prominence in the Ethereum community, we're kicking off the series with a special focus on Restaking.
As frontrunners in Ethereum research, we're focused on developing a carefully curated restaking strategy to optimize the benefits of this technology for our users.
So, our series will cover everything you need to know about our approach, which positions us as a top choice for ETH staking and restaking among node operators.
Let's dive into our first edition!
Engaging with EigenLayer by depositing liquid staking tokens (LSTs) or your staked ETH enables you to accumulate ‘Restaked Points’, reflecting your contribution to the EigenLayer ecosystem's collective security. These points are calculated based on the duration and amount of your staking participation.
By accumulating ‘Restaked Points’, you not only enhance your rewards on your LSTs or staked ETH but also become eligible for potential airdrops!
Note: Please be aware that although staked ETH deposits into EigenLayer are currently accepted and can be withdrawn at any time, rewards can only be redeemed after the launch of EigenLayer’s Mainnet and once the Activated Validator Services (AVSs) utilizing EigenLayer's pooled security become operational.
Chorus One makes the staking and restaking process straightforward and efficient.
Here’s how it works:
Delegating your restaked ETH to Chorus One
At present, you can only deposit your staked ETH into EigenLayer; the option to delegate to node operators is not yet available.
We will notify you once the delegation feature on EigenLayer becomes operational, indicating that it's time to delegate your restaked ETH. At that point, you will be able to delegate to Chorus One with just a few clicks.
Visit OPUS ‘Dedicated’ to get started.
Note: Restaking LSTs with EigenLayer is currently on hold and will resume once the deposit cap is raised. In the meantime, you are welcome to use OPUS 'Pool' to stake any amount of ETH and mint osETH.
Visit OPUS ‘Pool’ to get started.
Chorus One aims to make restaking as accessible and simple to all users as possible. In doing so, we have a tailored AVS and restaking strategy that makes this possible in the following ways:
Selective AVS Strategy: Contrary to other node operators who may aim to onboard as many AVSs as possible, Chorus One adopts a more strategic approach.
We prioritize security and are currently in the process of carefully vetting AVSs for which we provide infrastructure. Given any risks associated with restaking, we believe it's crucial to conduct thorough research on each project we support.
Enhanced Rewards with Adagio: As pioneers in MEV research, Chorus One stands out by utilizing an in-house Ethereum MEV-client, Adagio. This unique tool enhances the MEV yield for all ETH validators we run by implementing strategic timing games. Learn more about Adagio here.
By choosing to stake and restake with Chorus One, your validators benefit from using Adagio, yielding higher rewards compared to alternatives.
Top-Tier Security with ISO 27001:2022 Certification: Chorus One is among the select few node operators to achieve the ISO 27001:2022 certification, a globally recognized standard for security.
This certification isn't just a formality for us; it's a reflection of our deep commitment to maintaining the highest levels of security in our staking infrastructure, operations, and systems, ensuring our customers' peace of mind.
(Source: Dune Analytics)
An EigenPod is a user-managed smart contract designed to aid in the administration of balance and withdrawal statuses within the EigenLayer protocol.
When organizing your EigenPod and delegating your restaked ETH to a node operator, consider the following: You may point multiple validators to a single EigenPod.
This underscores the importance of judiciously selecting a node operator to delegate your staked ETH to, taking into account their specific restaking and AVS strategies.
If you’re interested in staking/restaking with Chorus One, or learning more, simply reach out to us at staking@chorus.one and we’ll be happy to get back to you! Here are some useful resources for your benefit:
Additionally, if you’d like us to share further resources on any topic, please let us know!
Chorus One is one of the biggest institutional staking providers globally operating infrastructure for 50+ Proof-of-Stake networks, including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, and Near, amongst others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry and now offer easy enterprise-grade staking solutions, industry-leading research, and also invest in some of the most cutting-edge protocols through Chorus Ventures.
Summary
EigenLayer’s mainnet is just around the corner and has been the talk of town lately. In a nutshell, EigenLayer is a new primitive that democratizes access to restaked rewards by aggregating and propagating cryptoeconomic security to a broad suite of applications being built on top of Ethereum.
Chorus One has long been immersed in the ecosystem, and has now proudly launched our newest solution to further simplify ETH staking - OPUS Pool. This new product allows any user to easily stake ETH, mint osETH, and integrate with EigenLayer seamlessly, streamlining the process for both new and existing customers.
Additionally, users have the extra benefit of depositing not only osETH, but any other accepted liquid staking tokens (currently, stETH, cbETH, and rETH) into EigenLayer - making it significantly easier for anyone to participate in ETH restaking and earn additional rewards.
Kick-start your ETH staking journey with Chorus One! Enter the OPUS Pool here.
In this article, we break down the fundamentals of EigenLayer and Restaking, key benefits and risks, Chorus One’s involvement in the ecosystem, and how investors and institutions can restake seamlessly using the OPUS Pool. Dive in!
Restaking in the context of Ethereum, as defined by Vitalik Buterin, is a process that allows stakers to extend their staked assets' utility beyond the Ethereum network. This concept, integral to Ethereum's Proof of Stake (PoS) framework, enables staked ETH to not only support Ethereum's network but also to bolster the security and trust systems of other blockchain platforms.
Through restaking, assets that would otherwise be dormant within Ethereum gain a new functionality, serving multiple networks simultaneously and offering stakers the opportunity to earn additional rewards from various sources. Ethereum's dense network of validators and the spread of staked assets contribute to its robust security, making it an ideal candidate for restaking.
EigenLayer has pioneered this primitive by integrating smart contracts into Ethereum, facilitating restaking and expanding the possibilities for asset utilization.
It creates a market-driven ecosystem where security is pooled and governed by supply and demand. Users can opt-in to EigenLayer smart contracts to restake their $ETH or LST(liquid staking token) and extend cryptoeconomic security to additional applications on the network. Part of EigenLayer’s potential, therefore, lies in its ability to aggregate and extend cryptoeconomic security through restaking and to validate new applications being built on top of Ethereum or beyond.
Actively Validated Services (AVS), essentially new projects or applications building on Ethereum, can tap into this pool, consuming security based on their needs while validators opt-in at their discretion, weighing risks and rewards. This system negates the need for AVSs to establish their own validator networks, instead allowing them to utilize Ethereum’s existing security infrastructure.
EigenLayer not only enhances capital efficiency by enabling staked tokens to be used across multiple protocols but also simplifies the process. Ultimately, it aims to unify cryptoeconomic security within a single ecosystem, reducing the fragmentation of security across protocols and increasing trust through a larger validator network.
There are two key advantages:
Firstly, stakers can earn or stand to earn additional rewards through restaking by taking on more responsibilities.
Secondly, emerging protocols benefit from the robust security provided by Ethereum's established pool of validators. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship between Ethereum's foundational layer and other blockchain protocols, enhancing the overall ecosystem.
Before taking a deeper look into the ecosystem and how users may get involved, let’s take a look at the fundamental ideas introduced by EigenLayer:
By combining these ideas, EigenLayer serves as an open marketplace where AVSs can rent pooled security provided by Ethereum validators.
While Restaking with EigenLayer presents numerous benefits, there are certain challenges and risks.
There are primarily two categories of risks associated with restaking with EigenLayer:
(1) many operators may collude to attack a set of AVSs simultaneously
With only a subset of operators choosing to restake in specific AVSs, this selective participation opens the door to potential collusion among operators, who might conspire to compromise the system for financial gain, particularly if they are restaking across multiple AVSs with substantial total locked values.
(2) the AVSs built on EigenLayer may have unintended slashing vulnerabilities — this is the risk of honest nodes getting slashed.
The risk of unintended slashing is significant, especially in the early stages of AVS deployment before thorough battle-testing. Vulnerabilities, such as programming bugs, could trigger slashing and result in losses for honest participants. To mitigate these risks, EigenLayer proposes rigorous security audits of AVS codebases and a governance layer capable of vetoing unjust slashing decisions.
We’ll cover the potential risks and management strategies in more depth in an upcoming article in this EigenLayer series, stay tuned!
Chorus One has been actively engaged in the EigenLayer ecosystem since its early days, evolving alongside it, and has recently integrated EigenLayer restaking into our latest product, OPUS Pool.
OPUS Pool is our latest addition to the OPUS product suite enabling anyone to stake any amount of ETH with Chorus One. Not only that, users also have the extra benefit of depositing any other accepted liquid staking tokens (including osETH, stETH, cbETH, and rETH) into EigenLayer in one go!
Essentially, we have opened up an avenue for anyone (OPUS and non-OPUS users) to participate in restaking as easily as possible.
For a step-by-step guide on how to get started with restaking with Chorus One, visit our comprehensive guide.
Additionally, we have been greatly involved within the ecosystem in a multitude of ways:
…. And more!
EigenLayer revolutionizes staked asset utilization, enhancing validator rewards and strengthening protocol economies. It catalyzes the creation of innovative protocols and services, enriching the Ethereum ecosystem. This advancement fosters Ethereum's growth, making it more attractive to institutional investors by allowing a single staking mechanism to secure diverse protocols, improving resource use and network efficiency, and broadening the stakeholder base.
Why should you choose Chorus One for Restaking?
To start your ETH staking journey with Chorus One, head to OPUS Pool!
Check out our step-by-step guide for a comprehensive overview of how you can get started.
For any questions, information, or suggestions, please reach out to us at staking@chorus.one, and we’ll be in touch!
A step-by-step guide to the OPUS Pool for ETH Staking
MEV Max - Introducing Chorus One’s vault on StakeWise V3
Chorus One is one of the biggest institutional staking providers globally operating infrastructure for 50+ Proof-of-Stake networks including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, and Near amongst others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry and now offer easy enterprise-grade staking solutions, industry-leading research, and also invest in some of the most cutting-edge protocols through Chorus Ventures.
We're proud to announce our latest partnership with BitGo, an industry-leading digital asset custodian, to provide institutional-grade staking for ZetaChain. In this article, we provide an overview of everything you need to know about ZetaChain and how it works. To start staking ZETA seamlessly with Chorus One, simply reach out to us at staking@chorus.one!
Facing the decision of which blockchain to build on is among the most challenging dilemmas for developers. Various factors, including the security of the underlying chain, cost, and its throughput, play a crucial role in influencing this decision. With the proliferation of blockchains, it has become evident that no single chain can dominate them all. Thus, the notion of interoperability has gained significance. Interoperability entails the capacity for users to engage in transactions across multiple chains, resulting in increased liquidity, enhanced capitalization, a larger user base, and greater innovation in use cases overall. Numerous mechanisms have endeavored to address this challenge through means such as bridges (e.g., Wormhole, Allbridge), and interoperability standards (IBC). However, these initiatives still grapple with problems like centralization, diminished user experience, the necessity for protocols to conform to specific standards, and vulnerability to exploits. Achieving genuine interoperability remains elusive at present. This is precisely where ZetaChain steps in.
ZetaChain is a Proof-of-Stake blockchain built on Cosmos SDK and Tendermint PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance) consensus engine. As a result, ZetaChain enjoys fast block time and instant finality. Smart contracts on ZetaChain support arbitrary logic that executes conditionally on external chain events, and can directly update external chain states via its TSS (Threshold Signature Scheme) signed transactions. ZetaChain thereby enables omnichain dApps that interact with different blockchains natively and directly without wrapping or bridging any assets. Unlike Ethereum where a smart contract can be trusted to manage assets according to predetermined rules, except on ZetaChain, a smart contract can leverage and manage assets on any connected blockchain.
If you've ever explored bridging or engaging in cross-chain transactions, you've probably encountered the challenge of true interoperability. Blockchains usually operate as closed systems, limiting transactions to the state of their respective blockchain. External information integration into the blockchain without a trusted third party, like an oracle, is not reliably achievable. For transactions that span multiple blockchains, reliance on a trusted intermediary, often a CEX (centralized exchange), is currently necessary. Consequently, there's a lack of a decentralized, permissionless, and public service enabling generic atomic transactions involving multiple blockchains. Even platforms like Cosmos, while enabling the creation of interoperable blockchains, require additional bridging mechanisms to connect with chains beyond the IBC ecosystem.
ZetaChain aims to solves this problem of partial interoperability.
In this section, we break down the different architectural elements of ZetaChain and its roles.
Validators : ZetaChain uses the Tendermint consensus engine, each validator node can vote on block proposals with voting power proportional to the staking coins (ZETA) bonded. We cover more about the ZETA coin below. Just like other chains, validators need to be online all the time, ready to participate in the constantly growing block production. In exchange for their service, validators will receive block rewards, and potentially other rewards such as gas fees or processing fees, proportional to their bonded staking coins. Contained within each validator is the ZetaCore and ZetaClient. ZetaCore is responsible for producing the blockchain and maintaining the replicated state machine. ZetaClient is responsible for observing events on external chains and signing outbound transactions. ZetaCore and ZetaClient are bundled together and run by node operators. Anyone can become a node operator to participate in validation provided that enough ZETA are staked. Chorus One is one of the node operators and you can stake your ZETA with us to ensure high rewards backed by robust security.
Observers: Observers are tasked with monitoring external chains for relevant transactions. This observer system is segmented into two key roles: sequencers and verifiers. The sequencer's responsibility is to identify relevant external transactions, events, and states, reporting them to the verifiers. The verifiers verify and vote on ZetaChain to reach consensus. The sequencer does not need to be trusted, but at least one honest sequencer is needed for liveness.
Signers: ZetaChain possesses a set of standard ECDSA/EdDSA keys that facilitate authenticated interactions with external chains. To prevent any single entity or a small fraction of nodes from having the ability to sign messages on behalf of ZetaChain on external chains, these keys are distributed across various signers to ensure that only a supermajority of them can sign on behalf of ZetaChain and it employs bonded stakes and a system of positive and negative incentives to ensure economic safety.
In practice, all above roles (except sequencer) are collocated in the same computer node, sharing software and credentials such as validator keys and bonded stakes and the associated rewards/slashing.
ZETA token is a multi-chain utility token that play various roles like:
Total initial supply: 2,100,000,000 (two billion, one hundred million)
Inflation: 10% of the total supply (210m ZETA) is allocated to the initial emissions pool on ZetaChain. This pool allows for block rewards targeted to sustain and secure the network over the first 4 years of network growth. After this pool is depleted, the protocol will introduce a planned 2.5% inflation through validator rewards, separate from the emission curve. More information here.
As we’ve seen above, ZetaChain promotes true interoperability between different blockchains and has a unique mechanism to facilitate that. There’s no disagreement over the fact that we’ll have dozens of chains with their own use-cases and the current interoperability solutions do not provide a great user experience or efficient capital flow. We’re proud to be steadfast supporters of ZetaChain and the Cosmos ecosystem in general and look forward to the variety of applications that ZetaChain can enable. From multi-chain NFTs to omnichain DeFi, the possibilities are endless.
Ready to stake $ZETA? Simply reach out to us at staking@chorus.one, and we'll get you set up in no time!
About Chorus One
Chorus One is one of the biggest institutional staking providers globally operating infrastructure for 50+ Proof-of-Stake networks including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, and Near amongst others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry and now offer easy enterprise-grade staking solutions, industry-leading research, and also invest in some of the most cutting-edge protocols through Chorus Ventures.
The Cosmos ecosystem is one of the most diverse in crypto as it allows for experimentation and simple bootstrapping of new ideas, due to the accessibility of the Cosmos SDK stack. The result is the launch of multiple chains on a monthly basis, each one targeting specific issues or innovative solutions. As a recent highlight, the Cosmos Hub is on the forefront, with the implementation of ICS v1 (“replicated security”), becoming the first shared security solution in production.
The previous edition of our Quarterly Insights report covered the basic concepts and related projects pushing the boundaries for innovative solutions in staking. You can download it here.
This article starts a series of reviews of well known projects, aiming to uncover the present state of these “long lived” protocols. This edition focuses on Injective, a fast and cheap blockchain built for finance, featuring 0.9s block times and less than $0.01 fee per transaction. Injective provides infrastructure that is optimized for enterprises to build a diverse array of institutional grade financialapplications. An example of a high level contribution is the module that allows the implementation of an on-chain order book. The OpenDeFi Foundation is the non-profit organization behind the Injective protocol. Backers include high profile names, such as Binance, Jump, Pantera and Mark Cuban.
Injective is a Layer 1 (L1) blockchain built on top of the Cosmos SDKand the CometBFT Consensus protocol. The network is operated by60 validators at the time of writing. The number of validators may seem low when compared to other delegated PoS blockchains (e.g.Solana: 1900 validators), but it can still be considered similar to otherCometBFT based chains. The protocol is proof-of-stake based and has a limited validator set to optimize for throughput. The expected tendency is for the network to be secured also by social consensus,with delegators working on identifying more reliable and trustedvalidators to delegate to.
In the Injective case, the super-majority is formed by 4 validators that hold more than 33% of voting power at the time of writing.Aware of the risks imposed by centralization, and to incentivize contributions from other node operators to the development of the ecosystem, the Open DeFi Foundation recently announced theFoundation Delegation Program to increase the voting power controlled by relatively smaller validators.
From a validator's perspective, Injective can be a demanding network to run due to its short block times and, consequently, higher chance of failing to sign blocks. This characteristic is reflected in the validator “uptime”, which varies from 80% to 99% on Injective amongst all validators, while for other networks the uptime is on average closer to 100%. The update process has consistently been well-managed and smooth. Overall, we have a positive impression of the network's technical architecture.
The most popular dApp on Injective is Helix, a decentralized exchange that allows for spot and derivatives trading of cross chain assets. More than $10B have been traded since the launch in November 2021, with derivatives being responsible for $9.3B. The total value locked in pools (TVL) is $11.5M and the most active perpetual markets are BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT. INJ/USDT is the most liquid spot market.
Helix creates a seamless trading experience, with a user interface comparable to a centralized exchange, low costs and advanced features, such as order types, graphical indicators and liquidity analysis. To start using Helix, users can connect from a Metamask, Keplr, Ledger, Cosmostation, Leap, or Trezor wallet.
The Open Liquidity Program (“OLP”) is an initiative recently announced to foment on-chain liquidity: beginning June 13, 2023,60,000 INJ can be earned during each epoch by those executing trades through the API or on decentralized exchanges built onInjective. The program prioritizes deep, long lasting liquidity, by using the following metrics to measure the quality of the activity: dual sidemarket making, uptime, volume and spread. All information on the reward calculations and API can be found in the OLP docs here.
Additionally, the first Injective Hackathon recently concluded, with the submission of 300 projects, and 357 builders, attracting developers, entrepreneurs, and blockchain enthusiasts, the four week online event fostered new innovations across Web3. Highlights from submissions involve options trading, asset management tools, money marketing platforms and NFT marketplaces. Additionally, the Injective Ecosystem Venture Group is a group of prominent institutions and venture funds that have come together to back the future of the protocol with a $150 million initiative. The focus is to support promising projects building within a diverse array of sectors including interoperability, DeFi, trading, PoS infrastructure, rollups and scalability solutions. Visit the official page to be informed on criteria and the process to apply.
Given Wormhole integration and IBC compatibility, from the userperspective, it is fairly easy and cheap to interact with multiple blockchains from- and to- Injective. According to the Map of Zones, Injective communicates with 19 different Cosmos chains. The biggest flow of assets happens between Injective and the CosmosHub.
In May 2022, the protocol started working with the Wormhole bridge, making it easier for users and developers to interact with other blockchains. The most common asset bridged to Injective isUSDT, with more than 11 million of USDT at the time of writing. Other bridged assets include wETH, USDC, SOL, wMATIC and LINK.
Also, in March 2023, Cascade was launched - a layer-2 testnet that utilizes the Solana’s Sea Level Virtual Machine (SVM) provided byEclipse. This means that Solana developers can test their apps for use in the Cosmos without needing to change the programming language or tooling used. More information can be found here. April 2023 was the time for Injective to start communicating with Polkadot. The integration happens through the Celer Bridge, and allows users to transfer INJ, ATOM, ASTR and DOT between the Injective blockchain and the Astar parachain. More information can be found here.
Injective mainnet is live since November 2021. INJ, its native token,has multiple purposes in the ecosystem, as it is used:
I. to secure the PoS chain;
II. to participate in the on-chain governance;
III. to pay for exchange fees, and in the buy back and burn model;
IV. as margin and collateral backing derivatives positions. The current supply of INJ is 600m tokens and it increases over time through block rewards - incentives to token holders when locking INJ to help secure the Proof of Stake (“PoS”) network (“staking rewards”).
The emission rate (“inflation”) at the time of writing is 10% per year, and 62.5% of INJ total supply is currently locked in staking, resulting in 15% yearly yield. INJ is being traded at $7.94 and the fully diluted market cap is $794million. INJ price has been showing resilience throughout this bearmarket, as it was able to recover a good part of its value, despitemost of the market still struggling with low prices in the same period.
According to IntoTheBlock, Injective has a 94% concentration bylarge holders, i.e. whales - addresses with more than 1%; and investors - addresses with more than 0.1% of circulating supply.
The protocol suggests a global minimum fee structure, meant tofavor those adding liquidity to markets, also known as “marketmakers''. Maker fee is 0.01% of the total amount of the order, whilemarket taker orders - those trading against the orderbook, pay0.02% of the trading amount. Although the maker/taker model iscommon on centralized exchanges, Injective fees are half of what auser would pay when trading on Binance, for example. For a more indepth analysis of fee models in different exchanges, we recommend this article by Deribit.
Additionally, as a way to support the applications, the protocol transfers 40% of trading fees back to the dApp. This value can be used to source the trading activity on the exchange, offering fee rebates and other incentives to increase financial yield to users. The other 60% are kept by the protocol and periodically auctioned in exchange for INJ. The INJ proceeds of this auction are then burned, thus creating a potential deflating mechanism in the total INJ supply. Each application built on top of Injective may implement fees and incentives in a slightly different way. For example, Helix adds discounts to the taker fees, depending on the amount of INJ staked by the user and the amount traded in the last 28 days. Discounts start at 7.5%, when staking 25 INJ and trading volume $100,000. It can get to 80% for users staking at least 75,000 INJ and $100m trading volume.
Injective has been actively working on growing its ecosystem, tackling the different aspects to promote the activity and adoption of the network. On the TVL level, Injective is the 52nd chain on the DeFiLlama ranking. There are relatively few spot and derivative markets with significant liquidity levels - greater than $10,000 on the top of the book, and trading volumes are still low compared to otherdecentralized exchanges. On the other hand, Injective provides a fully on-chain experience, in contrast with most decentralized exchanges, through its order book and seamless trading experience, including advanced order types and technical analysis tools, that are partially unique in the crypto space, and we consider to be good differentials for the protocol.
Centralization of stake in a small number of validators is another concern for this network. Both points are subjects of the initiatives created by the Foundation and presented in detail in the previous sections.
When looking at tokenomics, the INJ token is one of the most valuable assets in the Cosmos, second only to the $ATOM token according to Mintscan. It also has multiple use cases, from staking to buy back and burn auction, which tend to power the demand and keep its value in the future. In terms of price, it has shown resilience compared to most assets in the Cosmos ecosystem during the recent tumultuous times crypto and global markets went through. The staking yield of around 15% annually is also aligned with other high value Cosmos chains.
As our final impressions, Injective seems to be taking the right steps to address its short comings while pushing ahead with its coremission. Chorus One is an Injective validator. You can find more information on how to stake INJ tokens on https://chorus.one/crypto-stakingnetworks/injective or reach out to us: staking@chorus.one.
To stay up to date with Injective
Blog: https://blog.injective.com/
About Chorus One
Chorus One is one of the biggest institutional staking providers globally operating infrastructure for 50+ Proof-of-Stake networks including Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana, Avalanche, and Near amongst others. Since 2018, we have been at the forefront of the PoS industry and now offer easy enterprise-grade staking solutions, industry-leading research, and also invest in some of the most cutting-edge protocols through Chorus Ventures.
