How to Stake GX
Staking GX allows you to earn a proportional share of all trading fees generated on GX Exchange. This guide covers how to stake, the rewards structure, and fee discount tiers.
Overview
GX staking is a fee-sharing mechanism. When you stake GX tokens, you earn a portion of the protocol’s trading fee revenue, paid in USDC. The more GX you stake relative to the total staked pool, the larger your share of fees.
Staking also unlocks trading fee discounts and governance voting rights.
Important: GX staking is not validator staking. Validators operate independently as permissioned nodes. GX staking is purely for fee sharing, fee tier discounts, and governance participation.
How to Stake
Step 1: Bridge GX to GX Chain
If your GX tokens are on Ethereum, bridge them to GX Chain:
- Navigate to the Bridge page on the GX Exchange interface
- Select GX as the asset
- Enter the amount to bridge
- Approve and confirm the bridge transaction
- Wait for validator confirmation (typically seconds)
Step 2: Navigate to the Staking Page
- Go to the Staking section of GX Exchange
- Your available GX balance on GX Chain will be displayed
Step 3: Stake Your GX
- Enter the amount of GX you wish to stake
- Click Stake
- Sign the transaction with your wallet
- Your tokens are now staked and earning rewards
Step 4: Claim Rewards
Rewards accumulate per block in USDC. You can claim earned rewards at any time:
- Navigate to the Staking dashboard
- View your accumulated USDC rewards
- Click Claim Rewards
- Sign the claim transaction
- USDC is credited to your GX Chain balance
Unstaking
Staked GX has a 7-day cooldown period when unstaking:
- Click Unstake and enter the amount
- Sign the unstaking transaction
- The 7-day cooldown begins
- During cooldown, tokens do not earn rewards
- After 7 days, tokens become freely transferable
The cooldown period prevents stake manipulation around governance votes and ensures protocol stability.
Fee Distribution
Trading fees collected on GX Exchange are split as follows:
| Recipient | Share | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| GX Stakers | 40% | Distributed proportionally to staked GX holders in USDC |
| Buy & Burn GX | 20% | Protocol buys GX on the open market and burns it permanently |
| Insurance Fund | 20% | Backstop for liquidation shortfalls and black swan events |
| Protocol Treasury | 20% | DAO-governed treasury for development, operations, and ecosystem grants |
Fees are accumulated per block and distributed at the end of each epoch (1,000 blocks).
Fee Discount Tiers
Staking GX unlocks reduced trading fees:
| Tier | GX Staked | Maker Fee | Taker Fee | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 0 | 0.020% | 0.050% | — |
| Bronze | 10,000+ | 0.018% | 0.045% | 10% |
| Silver | 100,000+ | 0.015% | 0.040% | 20% |
| Gold | 500,000+ | 0.012% | 0.035% | 30% |
| Platinum | 1,000,000+ | 0.010% | 0.030% | 40% |
Fee tiers are recalculated in real time based on your staked balance.
Governance
Staked GX grants governance voting power:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Voting power | 1 staked GX = 1 vote |
| Proposal threshold | 100,000 GX staked to submit proposals |
| Voting period | 5 days |
| Quorum | 10% of total staked supply |
| Pass threshold | >50% of votes cast (excluding Abstain) |
Governance proposals can cover market listings, fee parameter changes, treasury spending, and protocol upgrades. Approved proposals execute on-chain after a 24-hour timelock.
Estimated Returns
Staking returns depend on total trading volume and total GX staked. As an illustrative example:
| Daily Trading Volume | Total Fees (0.05% taker) | Staker Share (60%) |
|---|---|---|
| $10M | $5,000 | $3,000 |
| $100M | $50,000 | $30,000 |
| $1B | $500,000 | $300,000 |
Your individual share is proportional to your stake relative to the total staked pool. These figures are illustrative and actual returns will vary with market conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stake and trade at the same time? Yes. Staked GX earns fee-sharing rewards and unlocks fee discounts. Your trading collateral (USDC) is separate from your staked GX.
Do I need to choose a validator? No. GX staking is a protocol-level fee-sharing mechanism, not validator delegation. Your staked GX earns from all trading fees regardless of validator selection.
What happens if I unstake partially? You can unstake any amount. Only the unstaked portion enters the 7-day cooldown. The remaining staked tokens continue earning rewards.
Are rewards compounding? Rewards are paid in USDC, not GX. They do not auto-compound. You can claim USDC rewards and use them for trading, withdrawal, or purchasing more GX to stake.