How Benqi and hypha Are Redefining What It Means to Stake AVAX

in LeoFinance22 days ago

Before now , staking AVAX felt like planting a seed in rich volcanic soil.
You locked your tokens away, knowing that in time your patience would bear fruit.

But there was a problem.

While your AVAX quietly earned rewards, it sat trapped frozen in place.
Opportunities emerged in lending, liquidity pools, and yield farming… but your staked AVAX couldn’t join the party.

What if you could stake and stay liquid at the same time?
That’s when a new idea began to take root , resulting in Birth of Liquid Staking

Instead of locking up your AVAX, you stake it through a liquid staking protocol and receive a token that represents your staked position.
This token, your liquid staking token (LST) still earns staking rewards, but it also flows freely through DeFi.

It’s like staking without the chains.
Your capital stays productive, secure, and alive.

And on Avalanche , two protocols are leading this transformation: Benqi Finance and hypha (formerly GoGoPool).
Both share the same mission; to unlock AVAX , but their journeys take different paths.

Benqi came first, with a simple yet powerful vision:

“What if your staked AVAX could move as freely as AVAX itself?”

When you stake through Benqi Liquid Staking, you receive sAVAX a yield-bearing token that grows in value as staking rewards accumulate.

But the real magic is what happens next.
That sAVAX becomes your ticket into Avalanche DeFi from lending on Aave to farming on Trader Joe or compounding on Yield Yak.

Your AVAX doesn’t just earn yield from staking, it multiplies across the ecosystem.

Benqi’s approach is efficient, composable, and DeFi-first.
It’s for those who want their capital to work smart and move fast.

How to get started

Visit: benqi.fi/liquid-staking

Connect your wallet (Core, MetaMask, etc.)

Deposit AVAX → Receive sAVAX

Start using sAVAX in DeFi to earn even more yield

Then came Hypha, with a different dream.

Where Benqi saw efficiency, Hypha saw decentralization a way to grow the Avalanche network itself.
By staking through Hypha, you receive ggAVAX, a liquid staking token that still earns rewards but your staked AVAX is used to help launch new validators and strengthen the network’s roots.

In other words, every token you stake helps someone new stand up a node, expanding Avalanche’s reach.

Hypha’s story is one of community and growth of staking not just for yield, but for purpose.

How to get started

Step 1: Stake and Receive stAVAX

When you stake AVAX through Hypha, your tokens enter the deposit pool, where they help fund new validators on Avalanche.
In return, you receive stAVAX — a liquid staking token that earns base and MEV rewards while staying usable in DeFi.

Step 2: Building Validators with Minipools

Hypha matches your staked AVAX with users who want to run validator nodes through Minipools.
Using secure multisig tech, it transfers these pooled funds from the C-Chain to the P-Chain, officially registering each Minipool as a validator.

For about 15 days, your stake helps power Avalanche’s consensus and earns rewards along the way.

Step 3: Rewards Stream Back

After each cycle, the original 1,000 AVAX and rewards return to the C-Chain.
They’re streamed block-by-block into the reward pool over the next 14 days, automatically increasing your stAVAX value.

Step 4: Stay Liquid or Redeem

Your stAVAX is always free to move, trade it, lend it, or use it across DeFi.
When you’re ready, simply burn your stAVAX to redeem your AVAX (plus all earned rewards).

Every stake with Hypha strengthens Avalanche’s foundation.
You earn and the network grows.