Stellar is a high market cap altcoin, particularly popular with new crypto investors. By staking Stellar (XLM) on exchanges you can earn free XLM coins in a safe and reliable way. This can be particularly appealing to investors who don’t want to deal with the risks associated with trading.
Below is our list of best exchanges for staking Stellar, compared by APY (annual percentage yield). For a simplistic example, staking XLM worth $1,000 at 2% APY would give you $20 worth of XLM tokens after one year.
| Exchange: | Flexible APY: |
|---|---|
| Binance | 0.11% |
| Bybit | 1.50% |
| KuCoin | 0.05% |
| XT | 0.25% |
| Gate | 0.88% |
| BitMart | 0.30% |
| Bitrue | 1.50% |
| Pionex | 0.12% |
| Poloniex | 1.00% |
| CoinW | 2.00% |
To stake or not?
All exchanges listed here have fully flexible staking. This means you can withdraw or use your XLM coins (including accumulated interest) at any time, without any delays, penalties or fees.
Because of flexible durations, Stellar XLM staking on exchanges comes with virtually no risk. Even for frequent traders, staking can be a way to get extra income.
The main downside of staking XLM is a low percentage return. XLM gives you significantly lower yields compared to many other coins and tokens on the market.
Nevertheless, if you invested in Stellar and plan to hold for a longer duration, there is no downside to getting extra income from staking, regardless of amounts.
Best XLM staking exchanges are…
Highest yielding exchange for XLM right now is CoinW at 2% APY. This is actually a fantastic and underrated exchange, with excellent features and decent number of exciting altcoins to trade.
The most trusted and reliable exchange on the list is no doubt Bybit. This is one of the top 5 crypto exchange by many different metrics, and often our staff’s favorite for reliable derivatives trading. Bybit offers 1.5% APY for XLM staking.
Identical 1.5% APY is also offered by Bitrue. Despite fewer global users, Bitrue has other advantages, such as a bigger amount of altcoins listed, and incredibly lucrative staking yields (up to 20% APYs) on hundreds of assets.
XLM staking returns calculator
You can use our custom-built staking returns calculator below for a basic overview of potential returns. Punch in your investment (in USD), expected APY, and it will give you an overview of returns over different timeframes.
Keep in mind that our calculator can only predict potential earnings with USD amounts. There’s no telling where XLM price will be in one year. This means exact earnings are impossible to accurately calculate. Presumably you’re bagholding XLM because you expect the price to appreciate, therefore your final USD earnings are likely to be higher.
A few things to remember:
- Savings, staking or earn programs are usually not available in US and Canada. Check each exchange to ensure this is the case. Alternatively, you can use exchanges without KYC to bypass regional restrictions.
- APY always fluctuates by small percentages, and you should confirm current rates with each exchange. Our list excludes tiered yields, temporary promotional rates, new user bonus yields, or other temporarily available rates. Yields displayed in the table are average, and available to all customers.
Most centralized exchanges have insurance and protection funds, ensuring the safety of principal funds and interest. Savings & Earn programs on CEXs do not have the same risks as staking on-chain. XLM does not have decentralized or on-chain staking, therefore centralized exchanges are the only way to receive passive income.
Despite XLM staking having low returns, many investors are looking to get additional interest. Participating in staking can provide you with free XLM tokens with almost no risk.
