Vitalik Buterin envisions ‘one-click’ Ether staking for institutions

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has revealed the Ethereum Foundation used a simplified distributed validator technology called DVT-lite to stake 72,000 Ether in February, tech he says could make staking for institutions much easier.

“My hope for this project is that in the process, we can make it maximally easy and one-click to do distributed staking for institutions,” said Buterin on X on Monday.

Buterin explained that with DVT-lite, users can “choose which computers run their nodes, make a config file where they all have the same key, and then from there everything gets set up automatically.”

DVT-lite is a simplified form of distributed validator technology tailored for easier deployment, especially in institutional or semi-professional Ethereum staking setups.

In regular solo staking, everything is run on one computer, which can result in “slashing” or penalties if it crashes, gets hacked, or loses internet. Full DVT splits the secret keys across many computers that constantly communicate, which is very secure, but complicated to set up.

DVT-lite uses the same validator key on several computers, so if one computer dies, another quickly takes over, resulting in almost no downtime and very low risk of penalties.

The Ethereum Foundation started its staking program using the technology in late February, and the assets are currently sitting in the validator entry queue waiting to be staked on March 19.

Basic representation of a full DVT setup. Source: Ethereum Foundation

“One click” staking for institutions

Buterin said that the idea that running infrastructure is this “scary complicated thing” where each person participating must be a professional is “awful and anti-decentralization, and we must attack it directly.”

He added that there should be a “docker container” or “nix image” or similar, which has “one click” or command line per node that automates the process of staking.

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Buterin said he plans to use DVT-lite soon and hopes more institutions holding $ETH can stake in this way.

“We want the authority over staking nodes to be highly distributed, and the first step to doing this is to make it easy.”

In January, he suggested “native DVT” network integration, which would allow stakers to “stake without fully relying on one single node.”

Big demand for staking despite low prices

There is still a huge demand for Ether ($ETH) staking despite its bear market price action.

There are currently 3.2 million $ETH in the validator entry queue, with a 55-day wait, and just 29,000 in the exit queue with a 12-hour wait, according to ValidatorQueue.

There are currently 37.5 million $ETH staked, worth around $76.5 billion at current prices (around the same as the market cap of DoorDash or Motorola), and representing 31% of the total supply.

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