Solana Staking, Unchained: The Good, the Bad, and the Next Evolution in Validator Access

Solana staking secures the network and distributes rewards. But for too long, those rewards have flowed to the few, not the many. Behind closed doors, large token holders cut private deals with select Solana validators, locking out smaller players and reducing the network’s decentralization.

That’s what led Marinade to build the Stake Auction Marketplace (SAM): an open, transparent system that flips the model—giving every validator a shot, and every staker access to competitive yields.

A year in, here’s what we’ve learned. The good. The bad. The ugly. And the next steps in making Solana staking fairer, more transparent, and built for the long haul.

When Staking Rewards Flow to the Few

Before SAM, the typical Solana staking landscape looked like this:

• Millions of SOL concentrated into just a handful of validators.
  
• Private validator deals negotiated off-chain.
  
• Small, high-performance validators locked out of delegation flows.

This centralization made it hard for everyday stakers to access top-tier rewards, and even harder for new validators to compete.

Why an Open Validator Marketplace Matters

Staking rewards on Solana come from three primary sources:

• Inflation rewards
  
• MEV tips
  
• Priority fees
  

Historically, only a portion of these were shared transparently with stakers. The rest stayed hidden behind validator relationships and off-chain arrangements.

The idea behind the Stake Auction Marketplace was simple: bring those rewards into the light, and give everyone the same access.

How the Stake Auction Marketplace Works

SAM is an open, protocol-agnostic auction where validators compete by publicly bidding for stake. Each validator:

1. Posts a bond (collateral).
   
2. Bids a CPMPE (cost per 1,000 SOL per epoch).
   
3. Gets ranked by yield, with allocation going to the highest bidders.

All bids are visible. All outcomes are automatic.

For stakers, it’s a yield marketplace. For validators, it’s a level playing field.

The Good: A Fairer Solana Staking System

Since launch, the SAM model has shown clear benefits:

• Over 300 Solana validators compete openly.
  
• Yields are often higher than the standard 0% fee options.
  
• Smaller validators now have a real path to grow.
  
• Stakers choose based on transparent, real-time data.

It’s staking aligned with Solana’s values: performance-based, decentralized, and open to all.

The Bad: Inefficiencies in the Auction Model

That said, SAM isn’t perfect.

Its last-price auction model means:

• Validators who bid higher still only pay the lowest winning bid.
  
• The result is a value gap: willing contributors underpay.
  
• Solana doesn’t yet support seamless redelegation, so reallocation loses yield for one epoch.

These mechanics create friction for both stakers and validators.

The Ugly: MEV and the Limits of Openness

An open auction brings open risk. Any validator can participate — including those using questionable MEV strategies like sandwiching.

While Marinade introduced MIP-9 to block known bad actors, the issue is persistent. New nodes can appear fast, and true fixes likely require protocol-level upgrades like:

• Reduced block latency
  
• Multi-proposer support
  
• Built-in MEV resistance

It’s the classic Web3 challenge: openness vs. abuse.

New Tools: Curated Validators for Trust-Conscious Stakers

To address these concerns, Marinade now offers a curated validator set — featuring trusted operators with strong reputations and consistent performance.

This gives users more control over how they stake:

• Choose the open market for maximum yield.
  
• Or opt into the curated list for lower risk and fewer surprises.
  

It’s not either/or. It’s a spectrum of staking choices.

Why It All Matters for Solana Validators and Stakers

More competition among validators means more decentralization.More transparency means better yields for users. More options mean Solana staking can fit more use cases — whether you’re a DeFi power user, a DAO treasury, or a first-time staker.

The Stake Auction Marketplace isn’t just a staking product. It’s a mechanism for long-term validator health, network resilience, and better alignment between stakers and operators.

What’s Next

Here’s where we’re headed:

• Redesigning the auction to reduce inefficiencies
  
• Supporting redelegation with zero epoch loss
  
• Tightening MEV controls and protocol-level enforcement
  

Staking on Solana should feel as fast and fair as the chain itself. And we’re working to make that vision real.

Explore SAM here.

Join the conversation at Marinade’s Forum.