What if a financial system could run itself not by burning electricity, but by rewarding good behavior? That’s the promise of staking, a mechanism that powers many modern blockchains by turning users into network operators.
In this week’s episode of The Clear Crypto Podcast, hosts Gareth Jenkinson and Nathan Jeffay sit down with StarkWare’s Noam Nisan to unpack how this trustless engine works, why it matters and what’s really at stake.
Understanding staking
Jeffay began by highlighting how staking is part of the backbone that keeps the blockchain running, and runs itself, with volunteers.
“By doing this, they’re saying, OK, we’re taking this task of running the blockchain seriously. Here’s some of our money. We’re putting it down. We’re showing that we’re serious about doing this.”
To help unpack this topic further and examine the deeper mechanics behind staking, the hosts are joined by Noam Nisan, principal researcher at StarkWare and a widely respected computer