Lightspeed The Future of Staking On Solana | Michael Repetný
Oct 14, 2025
Michael Repetný, CEO of Marinade Labs and a pioneer in Solana staking infrastructure, shares insights on the evolution of staking in the crypto space. He dives into the origins of Marinade, detailing its hackathon beginnings and institutional focus. Michael compares liquid and native staking, highlighting their respective advantages. He also discusses the challenges of sandwich attacks and revenue dynamics surrounding staking. Additionally, he explores the potential of staking to function like savings accounts in the future, blending innovation with practicality.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Native Staking Reduces Smart-Contract Risk
- Native staking can eliminate smart-contract custody risk while still diversifying across many validators.
- That product unlocked institutional demand who avoid LSD smart-contract and custody concerns.
LSTs Haven't Dominated Solana Staking
- Liquid staking tokens (LSTs) represent only about 10% of Solana staking despite growth and many LST entrants.
- Most users still prefer native staking due to lower perceived risk and regulatory/tax clarity.
Defend Stakers From MEV And Sandwiching
- Monitor validator behavior and adapt your marketplace if MEV and sandwiching surface as risks.
- Use KYC/verified validator pools and governance blocklists to protect stakers from malicious actors.