Lido V3 & KR1 x P2P.org: London Stock Exchange-Listed Company Launches Dedicated Ethereum Validators on stVaults
KR1 plc (LSE: KR1), a London Stock Exchange-listed onchain infrastructure company that owns and operates productive digital assets across the networks powering the convergence of AI and crypto, today announces the launch of its own Ethereum validators, with a near-term target of staking up to 6,000 ETH.
KR1’s validators operate in a dedicated Lido stVault run by P2P.org. KR1 retains control over deposits and withdrawals, the validator fee arrangement, and vault roles and permissions, while having the option to mint stETH for liquidity.
The Institutional Staking Tradeoff
Staking ETH has historically required a compromise between liquidity and control. Direct staking offers operator selection and potentially stronger validator outcomes, but leaves capital illiquid: withdrawals must clear the Ethereum exit queue, which can stretch to weeks when exits surge. Traditional liquid staking offers immediate liquidity, but removes operator choice and averages validator performance across a broad pool.
stVaults resolve the native staking versus pooled staking tradeoff, letting stakers tap into stETH liquidity while keeping control over validator selection and attribution.
The case of KR1, a publicly listed company selecting stVaults infrastructure to run its Ethereum validators, demonstrates this in practice.
Why Lido stVaults
- Unparalleled liquidity: By enabling the minting of stETH against assets held in staking vaults, stVaults allow optional liquidity alongside staked ETH.
- DeFi ecosystem adoption: Broad support for stETH and wstETH across the DeFi ecosystem lets institutions deploy liquidity efficiently while continuing to earn staking rewards.
- Security of the Lido protocol: Lido’s battle-tested, audited infrastructure provides an institutional-grade security foundation. Lido has received Web3SOC certification with a Grade A by Cantina.
Integration & Security Approach
Standard Ethereum staking risks apply; for the full breakdown, see Lido’s Risk Assessment Framework for stVaults.
The following measures have been implemented to support the security of Lido V3 and the KR1 x P2P.org stVault*:
- Smart contracts: Lido V3 stVaults smart contracts have undergone audits by Certora (including formal verification), MixBytes, Consensys Diligence, Composable Security, Ackee Blockchain, and Sigma Prime. An ongoing Immunefi bug bounty offers white hats up to $2M in rewards.
- Built-in operational controls: The stVaults’ design gives Vault Owners end-to-end control of the funds in the vault: supply/withdraw ETH, mint/repay stETH, monitor vault health parameters and metrics, trigger ETH withdrawals from validators, perform rebalancing, and disconnect from the Lido protocol.
* Audits, bug bounties, and operational controls are intended to reduce but do not eliminate underlying protocol or market risks. Additional risks may remain or be unidentified.
Next Steps
The launch begins with an initial set of 10 validators, with rollout timing dependent on Ethereum’s validator entry queue.