How to Stake Kaito Crypto in 2025
Ready to make your $KAITO tokens work harder for you? Staking Kaito earns you rewards, gives you governance rights, and boosts your ecosystem standing. Not to mention the tasty APYs of 10% or more.
This guide covers everything you need to know about staking KAITO for sKAITO in 2025, from step-by-step instructions to the key benefits and strategic considerations.
What is KAITO Staking?
Staking KAITO is the process of locking your tokens in the Kaito ecosystem to receive sKAITO (staked KAITO) in return. This mechanism is built on the Base blockchain and serves multiple purposes for both token holders and the broader Kaito network.
Stake $KAITO and you'll recieve sKAITO in return.
When you stake your KAITO tokens, they're converted to sKAITO at close to a 1:1 ratio initially. The value of your sKAITO grows over time, reflecting accumulated staking rewards. This means your sKAITO becomes more valuable the longer you hold it, encouraging long-term participation in the ecosystem.
Benefits of Staking KAITO
Earn Staking Rewards
Receive rewards from Liquidity Incentives (5% of token supply allocated). The value of your sKAITO increases over time, reflecting accumulated rewards.
Governance Participation
Vote with your sKAITO in the Kaito Connect ecosystem to influence project selection and ecosystem decisions.
Enhanced Ecosystem Benefits
Long-term stakers receive voting power multipliers and gain priority access to new features and opportunities.
Project Rewards Allocation
Allocate your sKAITO to specific projects on the Yapper Launchpad to receive a share of rewards from those projects.
Learn About Loudio and the $LOUD Token
Read more →How to Stake KAITO: Step-by-Step Guide
1. Prepare Your Wallet
To stake KAITO, you'll need:
- A compatible wallet that supports the Ethereum Base chain (such as MetaMask or Phantom Wallet)
- KAITO tokens in your wallet
- A small amount of Base ETH for transaction fees ($1 is more than enough)
If you don't have KAITO yet, you can purchase it on exchanges like Binance or trade other tokens directly in your Phantom wallet.
The Kaito Staking dashboard.
2. Access the Staking Portal
Visit the official Kaito staking portal at https://yaps.kaito.ai/stake. This is the only official staking platform for KAITO tokens. Always be cautious of phishing sites or unofficial staking platforms. Don't get drained!
⚠️ Security Tip: Always verify the URL carefully and bookmark the official staking page to avoid phishing attempts and wallet drains.
3. Connect Your Wallet
If you haven't connected your wallet yet, click your user icon in the bottom left side of the screen - this will take you to the user portal screen.
Click "My Wallets" in the top right, then click "Link Wallet". Link the wallet that you want to use for staking, then go back to the staking portal by clicking "Stake KAITO" from the left menu.
Here's where you can connect your staking wallet to Kaito
4. Stake Your KAITO
Once connected, you'll see your KAITO balance displayed. Enter the amount you wish to stake or use the "Max" button to stake all available tokens. Review the details, then click "Stake" to proceed.
Your wallet will prompt you to sign the transaction. After confirming, the transaction will be submitted to the Base blockchain for processing. Upon successful confirmation, you'll receive sKAITO tokens in exchange for your staked KAITO.
Pro Tip: You might notice your sKAITO returned is less than your KAITO in. For example 100 KAITO might only return 98 sKAITO. This it totally normal and you'll get your regular KAITO back + a % APR increase when you unstake!
5. Monitor Your Staking Position
After staking, you can track your sKAITO balance and rewards directly in the staking dashboard. You'll see:
- Your current sKAITO balance
- The current exchange rate between KAITO and sKAITO
Remember to Monitor Rewards!
Now you've successfully staked Kaito, remember to follow the @KaitoAI account on X to keep track of potential rewards you might earn!
Understanding sKAITO Mechanics
Unstaking & Cooldown Period
To unstake, navigate to the staking portal and select "unstake." There's a mandatory 7-day cooldown period after initiating an unstaking request. During this time, your sKAITO remains locked, and you won't be able to withdraw your KAITO until the period ends. Plan accordingly if you anticipate needing access to your tokens.
Hodler Score System
The Hodler Score (h) measures how long you've held sKAITO relative to the market average. Longer-term holders receive a higher score (up to 4x the voting power of new holders), incentivizing long-term commitment. This score is calculated hourly and factors into your voting power on the Yapper Launchpad.
Reward Distribution
Unlike some staking systems that require manual claiming, sKAITO rewards are automatically reflected in the increasing value of your sKAITO tokens over time. When you unstake, you'll receive more KAITO back than you initially staked, proportional to your holding period and the overall reward rate.
Adjustment Events
Your Hodler Score can be reset by "Adjustment Events," which occur if your sKAITO balance drops significantly compared to your maximum holding. For example, if your current balance falls below 90% of your maximum 30-day holding, an Adjustment Event is triggered, resetting your holding time calculation.
Using sKAITO in the Kaito Ecosystem
Voting on the Yapper Launchpad
One of the primary utilities of sKAITO is participation in the Yapper Launchpad governance. Here's how it works:
Visit the Yapper Launchpad at https://launchpad.kaito.ai
Connect your wallet containing sKAITO
Browse available projects and allocate your votes to your preferred options
Your votes will be locked for 7 days, and the winning projects will be added to the platform
sKAITO holders and Genesis NFT holders collectively represent 50% of the voting power, with the other 50% coming from Yapper community voting (using Yap points and Smart Followers).
Voting Power Calculation
Your voting power with sKAITO is calculated using several factors:
- Amount of sKAITO: Your base voting power
- Hodler Score (h): Reward for long-term holding
- Time-Weighted Score (t): How long you've voted for a specific project
- Exchange Rate (M): Dynamic rate based on the total voting ecosystem
Holder Votes (per sKAITO) = sKAITO × h × t × M
Where each sKAITO is capped at 0.0001% of Total Voted Yapper Votes
Strategic Staking Considerations
Stake for the Long Term
Due to the 7-day cooldown period and the benefits of a higher Hodler Score, KAITO staking is best suited for long-term holders.
Avoid Partial Withdrawals
Withdrawing a significant portion of your staked tokens can trigger an Adjustment Event, resetting your Hodler Score benefits.
Combine with Yap Points
For maximum ecosystem benefits, combine staking with active participation in the Yaps program to leverage both sides of the platform.
Future of sKAITO Utility
With Kaito's shift to an "alignment signals" mechanism, sKAITO holders will soon be able to allocate their staked tokens to specific projects they support. This will increase those projects' visibility on the Yapper leaderboard and entitle stakers to a share of project-specific rewards, including potential allocations from launchpad campaigns. This enhanced utility aims to make staking more valuable for long-term holders.
Wrapping Up
Staking KAITO for sKAITO is a great way to participate in the Kaito ecosystem AND earn rewards for doing so. With the recent updates to Kaito Connect and the ever increasing utility of sKAITO, long-term token hodlers now have more incentives than ever to stake their KAITO.
Remember the 7-day cooldown period means your tokens won't be immediately accessible when you decide to unstake, so plan accordingly. But for us who are committed to the long-term success of Kaito, staking provides a way to gain additional exposure to Kaito with relatively low risk.
Ready to get started? Visit the official KAITO staking portal and begin your staking journey today!
Happy Staking! 😎