As Ice Open Network continues to scale and evolve, staking plays a vital role in securing the network and empowering users to take part in its growth. With the official launch of ION staking, anyone holding ION tokens can now earn rewards while actively contributing to the decentralization and resilience of the ION blockchain.
Whether you’re new to staking or just want to understand how it works on ION, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
💡 What Is Staking?
Staking is the process of locking your ION tokens to support the operations and security of the Ice Open Network. In return for staking, you earn rewards — a percentage of new token emissions — as compensation for helping maintain the network’s decentralized infrastructure.
Staking contributes to the validation of transactions and consensus, meaning the more ION you stake, the more secure and stable the network becomes.
📈 What Is APY?
APY stands for Annual Percentage Yield, and it reflects the estimated annual return you can earn by staking ION — factoring in compound interest if rewards are reinvested. The APY on staking may fluctuate based on the total amount of ION staked and the overall reward distribution model of the network.
The more users who stake, the more distributed and secure the network becomes — but this also means the APY adjusts accordingly to reflect the total participation.
🪙 What Happens When You Stake ION?
When you stake your ION tokens, you receive LION (Liquid ION) tokens in your wallet. These LION tokens represent your staked balance and can be used within the ecosystem as a liquid representation of your locked ION.
LION allows for future integrations, such as yield strategies, collateral, or other DeFi use cases, all while your ION continues to generate staking rewards.
🔄 Can You Stake and Unstake Anytime?
Yes — staking and unstaking are flexible. You can stake and unstake your ION at any time without being locked into long-term periods. However, please note that unstaked tokens are not returned instantly.
Instead, once you request to unstake, your ION will be released at the next validation round, which occurs approximately every 20 hours. You can always view the countdown to the next round on the official explorer at explorer.ice.io.
🎁 How and When Are Rewards Paid?
Rewards are distributed at the end of every validation round, approximately every 20 hours. These rewards are added to your staked balance and automatically reflected in your holdings — increasing your LION amount over time.
The earlier and longer you stake, the more compounding power your rewards may generate.
🧩 How to Stake ION
Getting started with staking is fast and straightforward. Here’s how:
💡 Staking currently works only on desktop devices using Google Chrome and the latest version of ION Chrome Wallet.
1. Install or update to the latest version of ION Chrome Wallet
2. Head over to the staking page
3. Connect your wallet
4. Choose the amount of ION you want to stake
5. Sign the transaction via your wallet to confirm the stake
6. Wait a few seconds, or refresh the page. You should now see your staked balance
That’s it! You’ll receive LION in your wallet instantly, and your ION will start generating rewards.
If you want to stake more ION, just press the + Add stake button and repeat the steps from 4 to 6.
🧩 How to Unstake ION
To unstake your ION, please follow the next guide:
💡 Unstaking currently works only on desktop devices using Google Chrome and the latest version of ION Chrome Wallet.
1. Head over to the staking page
2. Connect your Wallet
3. On the Staking site, press the Unstake button
4. Choose the amount of ION you want to unstake and press Unstake
5. Sign the transaction via your wallet to confirm the unstake
6. Wait a few seconds, or refresh the page. You should now see your updated balance
📊 Track the Staking Progress
On the staking page, you can view:
- Total ION staked across the network
- Your personal staking balance
- Your reward history
- Upcoming round timing
- Live APY
This ensures full transparency and gives you everything you need to stay in control of your staking journey.
🌐 Secure, Decentralized, and Rewarding
Staking ION is more than just a way to earn — it’s your chance to help build the foundation of the Ice Open Network while benefiting from its growth. It’s fully non-custodial, transparent, and designed for a seamless user experience.
Ready to stake? Visit stake.ice.io and put your ION to work.