How to Stake Cardano in 2026
How much can you earn?
Estimate your rewards from staking Cardano.
What is Cardano staking?
Staking Cardano means locking your ADA to help validate transactions on the Cardano network. In return you earn rewards — currently about 2.2% a year. Your ADA stays yours the whole time; you're delegating it, not giving it away.
Is staking Cardano worth it in 2026?
Cardano is one of the more established staking options — the ~2.2% APY comes with relatively low risk thanks to a mature validator set. For most holders who plan to keep their ADA anyway, staking it is close to a no-brainer: you earn yield on assets you'd be holding regardless.
Follow the step-by-step guide below to start staking ADA.
How to stake Cardano
Set up your wallet
Download a Cardano-compatible wallet (MetaMask, Ledger, or the native wallet). Secure your seed phrase offline.
Get ADA
Buy ADA on a major exchange (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken) and transfer to your wallet. Keep a little extra for gas fees.
Choose a staking option
You need at least 1 ADA to start. Navigate to the staking interface or delegate to a trusted validator.
Start earning
Confirm the transaction and you're staking. Rewards accumulate automatically — check in periodically to monitor your position.
What to watch out for
Cardano staking — common questions
What is the current ADA staking APY?
The current Cardano staking APY is approximately 2.18%. This rate fluctuates based on network participation and total staked supply. Data is updated every few hours.
Is there a minimum to stake ADA?
Yes, the minimum stake for Cardano is 1 ADA. Some third-party platforms allow smaller amounts through pooled staking.
How risky is ADA staking?
Cardano staking carries low risk. The network is well-established with strong validator infrastructure and slashing protection.
What type of staking does ADA use?
Cardano uses native staking. Stake directly on the blockchain by delegating to validators.
What percentage of ADA is staked?
About 62.0% of the total Cardano supply is currently staked, worth $5.90B.