Solana’s staking landscape in 2025 was defined by a clear split between native staking and liquid staking, each serving different user needs. Liquid staking tokens (LSTs) remained the default choice for DeFi users seeking composability and rehypothecation, while native staking increasingly became the preferred route for institutions and risk-aware long-term holders.

The key shift in 2025 was not that liquid staking disappeared—it didn’t—but that native staking closed the usability gap. With instant exit solutions and improved interfaces, delegating directly from self-custody wallets no longer meant sacrificing flexibility. For many participants, especially those with regulatory or custody constraints, native staking became the “clean” way to access SOL yield without added smart contract layers.