You have woken up to the high fees and slow transaction times of Ethereum and made your way to Cosmos. Good for you!
The Cosmos is an interconnected network of appchains and the center of it all is the Cosmos Hub. ATOM is the Hub’s native token and staking ATOM pays handsome rewards.
Not only that, but ATOM stakers can qualify for airdrops. When new appchains launch in the Cosmos ecosystem they often give some of their newly issued tokens away to ATOM stakers.
Want to be notified when there are Cosmos ecosystem airdrops to claim? Subscribe to receive updates sent straight to your email inbox!
You must use a Cosmos-native wallet to claim airdrops and Leap is one of the best.
If you use Exodus, Trust, or Atomic wallet you will need to import your seed phrase or private key into Leap, Keplr, or Cosmostation.
Good thing we have a tutorial so you know exactly what to do!
Staking Cosmos (ATOM) from a noncustodial wallet
Congratulations on getting your tokens off the exchange. Be sure to check out our articles: Why You Should Not Stake With Coinbase and Why You Should Stake With Small Validators.
Let’s start off with the basics….. your tokens are not held in your wallet. They are on the blockchain and never leave the blockchain.
Your wallet holds the keys that allow you to unlock your tokens and move them from one place to another on the blockchain. Wallets would more appropriately be called, keychains or keyrings.
You can input your seed phrase into as many wallets as you like and manage the same tokens from multiple wallets. It would be like making copies of your keys and keeping the copies on multiple keychains.
Self-custody has its own set of risks and one way to minimize hacking risk is to always use a hardware wallet, like a Ledger Nano.
Hardware wallets, like Ledger can be connected to Leap to provide an extra layer of protection. You would use Leap as your User Interface, but your keys would be held offline on the Ledger USB device. You would interact with Leap, but still need to press the buttons on the physical Ledger device in your hand to move funds.
Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s get down to business.
Here’s our detailed step-by-step guide to staking Cosmos ATOM tokens using Leap browser extension and Leap mobile wallets.
Let’s Fu%kin Go! (LFG)
How to stake ATOM using Leap extension wallet
Staking tokens using the Leap browser extension is simple and straight-forward. Leap is a great wallet and the Leap team actively contributes to the Cosmos community.
For the sake of this tutorial we will assume you already have Leap installed and ATOM tokens at your address.
1. Click the Leap extension icon in your browser toolbar.
(see image below)
2. If your wallet is not already on the Cosmos network, click the icon in the upper right to select the Cosmos Hub. (see images below)
3. Click the three bars or “hamburger” in the top left of the wallet and then click, “Expand View.” Using the full screen view keeps the wallet open if you click anywhere outside the wallet. This is handy if you need to copy a wallet address to then paste into Leap. It eliminates the step of clicking the browser icon again.
(see images below)
4. If ATOM is your only position, simply click the “Stake” button.
(see image below)
If your Leap wallet holds the keys to multiple tokens, click “ATOM” and then click “Stake.” (see image below)
5. The ATOM staking page will appear. Click “Stake.” We show both the expanded view and small wallet window below so you can see they are the same. (see images below)
6. Type “Blocks United” into the validator search box.
(see image below)
Please do NOT stake with the Leap, Keplr, or Cosmostation validators. Wallet provider validators get huge quickly and huge validators are terrible for network security.
Do NOT stake with Coinbase, Kraken, Binance, or any other centralized exchange validator either. On top of charging high commissions, CEX validators are a threat to decentralization.
7. Click on “Blocks United.” (see image below)
8. Enter the number of ATOM tokens you would like to stake and then click “Review.” (see image below)
9. Verify the details and then click “Stake ATOM.”
(see image below)
10. Once the staking transaction has completed click “Done.”
(see image below)
11. You will be taken back to the main wallet page and you will see that your ATOM balance has decreased. Click the “Stake” button to view your staked tokens. (see image below)
12. You will then see your staked tokens. (see images below)
That’s it! You have staked ATOM tokens with Blocks United. Thanks for staking with us! You are now reliably earning ATOM staking rewards.
How to stake ATOM using Leap mobile app
If you’re on the move and mostly use your phone, we’ve got you covered so keep reading. Below is our step-by-step guide to stake ATOM using Leap mobile.
1. Open the Leap app on your phone or mobile device.
(see image below)
2. Enter your password to unlock the Leap mobile app.
(see image below)
3. If your wallet is not already on the Cosmos network, click the icon in the upper right to select the Cosmos Hub. Then click the “Stake” button on the bottom toolbar. (see image below)
4. You will be taken to the ATOM staking page. Click “Stake.” (see image below) If your Leap wallet has access to multiple tokens, click on “ATOM” and then click “Stake.”
5. Type “Blocks United” into the validator search box or scroll down to find us. (see image below)
Please do NOT stake with the Leap, Keplr, or Cosmostation validators. Wallet provider validators get huge quickly and huge validators are terrible for network security.
Do NOT stake with Coinbase, Kraken, Binance, or any other centralized exchange validator either. On top of charging high commissions, CEX validators are a threat to decentralization.
Be sure to read our articles: Why You Should Not Stake With Coinbase and Why You Should Stake With Smaller Validators.
6. Tap our logo or “Blocks United.” (see image below)
7. Enter the number of ATOM tokens you would like to stake and then click “Review.” (see image below)
8. Review the details and then click “Stake ATOM.”
(see image below)
9. After the transaction goes through click “Done.”
(see image below)
10. You will be taken to the ATOM staking page to see that your tokens are now staked with Blocks United. Thanks for staking with us! Click “Home” to go to your main wallet page. (see images below)
That’s it! Hopefully this Leap staking tutorial has shown you just how simple it is to stake ATOM and earn income from your crypto.
Other articles and Cosmos tutorials you might enjoy
How To Stake ATOM Using Cosmostation
How To Stake ATOM Using Ledger
How To Stake ATOM Using Trust Wallet
How To Choose The Right Cryptocurrency For Staking
Unleash The Power Of Staking And DeFi With Kava
Why You Should Not Stake With Coinbase Or Any Centralized Provider
Validator Jailed? Here’s What To Do
Import Exodus, Atomic and Trust wallets Into Keplr To Claim Airdrops
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out our article: The Best and Worst Places to Stake ATOM for detail. The answer depends on whether you are comfortable with self-custody, but noncustodial staking is certainly best for blockchain networks. Staking from a noncustodial wallet helps prevent network centralization, pays you the highest yield, and allows you to qualify for airdrops.
Leap has been independently audited and deemed to be safe. Additionally, the Leap team is quite active in the Cosmos community and proven to be trustworthy.
ATOM stakers earn some of the highest returns for a large cap token. As of April, 2024 the staking yield is over 13%. Remember that staking yield constantly fluctuates with network activity, validator performance, validator commission, inflation rate, etc.
Leap wallet supports just about every Cosmos ecosystem token.
Yes, you can send USDC to Leap wallet using IBC transfers from Noble, Osmosis, etc. Do NOT send USDC to Leap wallet on the Ethereum network or you may lose your funds. The network is of key importance.
ATOM staking rewards are high to attract stakers and developers. The network has a goal of having 2/3 of the outstanding ATOM supply staked to keep things secure.
Nothing we say is financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Cryptocurrency is a highly speculative asset class. Staking crypto tokens carries additional risks, including but not limited to smart-contract exploitation, poor validator performance or slashing, token price volatility, loss or theft, lockup periods, and illiquidity. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Never invest more than you can afford to lose. Additionally, the information contained in our articles, social media posts, emails, and on our website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as financial advice. We are not attorneys, accountants, or financial advisors, nor are we holding ourselves out to be. The information contained in our articles, social media posts, emails, and on our website is not a substitute for financial advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We have done our best to ensure that the information provided in our articles, social media posts, emails, and the resources on our website are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available in our articles, social media posts, website, or emails should be understood as a recommendation to buy or sell anything and make any investment or financial decisions without consulting with a financial professional to address your particular situation. Blocks United expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional. Neither Blocks United nor any of its employees or owners shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions in our articles, in our social media posts, in our emails, or on our website, or for any damage or financial losses you may suffer. The decisions you make belong to you and you only, so always Do Your Own Research.
