Aside from crypto, now you can stake your idle NFTs and earn rewards. Here's how NFT staking works and the various platforms where you can try it.

When we hear the term Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), most people would immediately think of digital representations of artworks and collectibles whose value has the potential to grow over time. In the past few years, the popularity of NFTs has soared significantly thanks to their unique nature and rarity. As a result, many people want to get their hands on valuable NFTs and be a part of the vast community.

NFT staking

As the market expands, many developers and artists are starting to search for new ways to make use of NFTs aside from providing ownership of digital collectibles. One of the most recent innovations is using NFTs as utility tokens in staking platforms. This allows NFT holders to lock their assets in a platform to earn rewards without having to sell their collections. Although the concept is still in its infancy compared to other DeFi yield farming programs, NFT staking is still worth considering, especially if you're an NFT collector yourself.

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What is NFT Staking?

As the name suggests, NFT staking allows users to stake their NFTs instead of crypto coins. It is a new alternative way to make money from NFTs without having to sell them to another collector. Basically, the concept refers to the locking up of NFTs on a certain platform or protocol in order to earn staking rewards and other privileges. This allows the holders to earn passive income while still having full ownership of their NFT assets.

With that being said, NFT staking is actually very similar to other DeFi yield farming concepts. By locking up their assets, users can earn rewards based on the annual interest rate and the amount of assets they staked. NFT staking can certainly benefit individual investors as the overall supply tends to be lower. But not only that, the concept can also improve the value of NFT as a whole and increase the demand since it goes beyond the idea of collecting digital art.

 

How NFT Staking Works

Many blockchains today are using the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism to operate. They need validators to verify transactions and keep the network secure. In order to be a validator, one must stake a certain amount of cryptocurrency for a chance to be randomly picked to verify transactions. Validators get paid crypto rewards for their work. Similarly, you can also stake your NFTs in a platform or protocol to earn rewards in exchange for dedicating your assets to the network.

As mentioned before, NFT staking works similarly to earlier DeFi yield farming concepts. However, NFT staking is still considered very young compared to others and each protocol has a different set of rules. For instance, some protocols require users to vote on proposals, while some others pay users for simply locking their assets on the platform.

In order to participate in NFT staking, all you need is a crypto wallet that holds the NFT. Then, you would have to send the NFTs to the staking contract and lock them for a specific time period. Once your assets are locked, you start earning rewards. Just keep in mind that not every NFT can be staked like cryptocurrencies. Therefore, make sure to check on your preferred projects before staking.

 

NFT Staking Platforms

Currently, most NFT staking opportunities are available on Play-to-Earn (P2E) games and metaverse platforms such as MOBOX, Axie Infinity, Polychain Monsters, the Sandbox, and more. Apart from that, you can also find NFT staking on DAO protocols and crypto exchanges like Binance Fan Token Platform and DOGE Capital.

 

Binance Fan Token Platform

Binance is one of the largest exchanges in the world and the first crypto exchange to offer NFT staking. Binance Fan Token is a platform where NFT holders can earn rewards by supporting their favorite sports team. By staking NFTs, Binance users earn extra Binance Fan Token rewards.

The tokens are basically utility tokens that are issued by a specific sports club. These tokens allow users to enjoy various club privileges. For example, you can get special discounts on tickets, get limited-edition merchandise, and have the right to vote on important decisions within the club.

In addition, Binance offers the NFT PowerStation, which is the gamification of the Fan Token Platform. By locking NFTs on the NFT PowerStation of a particular team, fans can boost their fandom and claim additional fan tokens. The longer the NFTs are locked in the PowerStation, the higher the token rewards.

 

MOBOX

Another example of an NFT staking platform is MOBOX, which is a P2E game that combines DeFi yield farming and NFTs. Built on the BNB Smart Chain, MOBOX has a metaverse called MOMOverse where you can find various NFTs called MOMOs. You can mint, earn, buy MOMOs from the game's marketplace, or you can stake them for passive income. Each MOMO has a unique quality and the hashing power is randomly generated.

Staking MOMO will earn you rewards in MOBOX's native currency, MBOX. The amount of reward that you get daily is based on the number of MOMOs you stake, so the more you collect, the higher the rewards.

 

Zookeeper (ZOO)

Zookeeper is another gamified platform that offers NFT staking and farming opportunities. Generally speaking, you can increase your APYs, but you'll need to keep your tokens for a specific period of time. The limit is 180 days.

If you want to improve your earnings, there is an option to stake your ZooBoosters, which are NFT cards obtained from gold chests purchased using the in-game coins or staked ZOO tokens.

 

Lucky Block

Lucky Block is an NFT staking project that was first introduced in 2022. The platform allows users to stake their NFTs and receive rewards based on the amount that they choose to stake.

To get started, you'll need to purchase a Lucky Block NFT either from the website or selected exchanges. Once you have your NFT, you can then deposit it in the Lucky Box contract. The lock-up period ranges from 1 to 12 weeks. Make sure to choose how much gas you're willing to pay for every transaction as well.

 

Splinterlands

Another example of games that support NFT staking is Splinterlands. It is a blockchain-based collectible card game that was built on the Hive network. The game involves buying and selling digital cards with unique NFT identifiers. There are over 500 cards in the game that players can collect and use in battles.

In Splinterlands, players can stake their NFT cards in liquidity pools and let other players use the cards to earn interest. Apart from that, players can also stake the game's native token, Splinter Shards (SPS) to earn rewards, get voting rights, as well as enjoy special bonuses within the game.

 

The Pros and Cons of NFT Staking

The Pros

  • Utilize Your Unused Assets: Earn passive income by using your idle digital assets in your possession without giving away the ownership of the NFT.
  • Support the Network: Each project offers its own unique benefits and rewards for staking NFTs. In some cases, you can get additional advantages like voting and governance rights to determine the project's future course.
  • No Technical Knowledge Required: NFT staking is very easy to do. You simply need to choose the platform and lock in your NFT for a certain period of time. There's no need to have any specific skills to do so.

 

The Cons

  • Market Risks: Like any other asset, the value of NFTs can change over time, either positively or negatively. The problem is that you may not be able to withdraw during the lock-up period and take advantage of the price change.
  • Platform Risks: The NFT market is still evolving, so it can be challenging to tell which company to trust and which to avoid. The platform may also be hacked or breached. This is why you should ensure that the platform is legit and won't run away with the asset.

 

The Bottom Line

NFT staking is a brilliant way to make extra income from idle NFT collections. Instead of simply collecting digital arts, NFT holders can actually use them to generate profit without having to sell them off. While the NFT staking concept is still in its early stages, it's gaining so much attention already. It might be too early to say, but we will probably see wider uses of NFTs across the DeFi space in the next few years.

If you are considering staking your NFTs, it's important to understand what you want to achieve. You need to know where the best opportunities are for your assets. This is why market research is highly important in NFT staking. Remember that there are various NFTs that you can stake and each has its own characteristics. To clear up your confusion, you may first learn how to choose the best NFT.