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 ICE staking, anyone holding ICE 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 ICE 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 ICE 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 ICE — factoring in compound interest if rewards are reinvested. The APY on staking may fluctuate based on the total amount of ICE 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 ICE?
When you stake your ICE 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 ICE.
LION allows for future integrations, such as yield strategies, collateral, or other DeFi use cases, all while your ICE continues to generate staking rewards.
🔄 Can You Stake and Unstake Anytime?
Yes — staking and unstaking are flexible. You can stake and unstake your ICE 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 ICE 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 ICE
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 ICE 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 ICE will start generating rewards.
If you want to stake more ICE, just press the + Add stake button and repeat the steps from 4 to 6.
🧩 How to Unstake ICE
To unstake your ICE, 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 ICE 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 ICE 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 ICE 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 ICE to work.