Lido

**Lido has achieved a perfect 12/12 score** on Aragon's Token Ownership Index, demonstrating strong tokenholder governance. **Key developments:** - Tokenholders maintain exclusive control over treasury allocations - LDO Accumulation Program underway with 471 stETH deployed in Batch #1 - Current batch closes May 29 - Automated buyback proposal passed via Snapshot vote - Onchain implementation scheduled for July The Token Ownership Index measures how much control tokenholders actually have over protocol decisions and assets. Lido's perfect score indicates tokenholders retain full authority over treasury management. [View announcement](https://x.com/LidoFinance/status/2057119256928542748)

**Financial Performance** Every quarter through Q1 2026 closed with a surplus, marking consistent profitability. **Key Metrics** - DAO Take Rate reached an all-time high of **6.10% in May** - Up from 4.96% in December, representing a **23% increase** - April results remained flat due to a one-time **$5.7M contribution to DeFi United** The steady quarterly surpluses demonstrate sustainable operations, while the rising take rate indicates improved revenue capture from protocol activity.

**KelpDAO Exploit Resolution Complete** A LayerZero bridge exploit left rsETH underbacked by over 100,000 ETH, directly impacting Lido's EarnETH vault with approximately $20M in rsETH exposure. **Community Response** - The 'DeFi United' initiative successfully raised 132,000 ETH to address the rsETH shortfall - Lido DAO contributed 2,500 stETH to the recovery effort - EarnETH's first-loss protection mechanism burned 144 ETH to fully cover user funds **Current Status** After 27 days of being frozen, the EarnETH vault is now operating normally. All affected users have been made whole through the combined efforts of the DeFi United initiative and Lido's protection mechanisms. The incident demonstrated the effectiveness of Lido's first-loss protection framework and the broader DeFi community's ability to coordinate recovery efforts during protocol exploits. [Full details](https://x.com/LidoFinance/status/2057452890281640296)

**Market Status** ETH has remained flat at $2,120 for several months with no significant price movement. **Staking Dynamics** - Total ETH staked increased faster than anticipated - Growth primarily driven by institutional players Grayscale and BitMine - Entry queue extended to over 50 days since late January **Behavioral Shifts** The 'APR Maxi' segment (yield-focused stakers) decreased from 16% to 10% of the market following the KelpDAO incident. This suggests a more cautious approach among aggressive yield seekers. **Network Activity** Last month saw 84,300 ETH issued versus only 4,100 burned, indicating the network remains inflationary despite renewed staking interest. L2 dominance continues to suppress mainnet activity and fee burn.

Lido Foundation held its May 2026 tokenholder update, covering several key operational areas: **Financial Performance** - Q1 2026 financial results and profitability metrics shared - Token buyback program progress detailed **Security & Operations** - Impact assessment of the KelpDAO exploit on Lido's ecosystem - Current security posture and protective measures outlined **Market & Strategy** - Analysis of current market conditions - Tokenholder alignment initiatives and next steps The update follows a similar briefing format from March 2026, maintaining regular communication with the Lido community on protocol performance and strategic direction.

The Ethereum Foundation, Lido Earn contributors, and Mellow Protocol reached an agreement to swap approximately 21,269 aWETH to wstETH. This bilateral swap allowed the EarnETH vault to retire WETH debt on Aave without slippage, reducing borrowing costs and improving vault health. This action runs parallel to the broader DeFi United initiative, which has raised over 100,000 ETH to address rsETH backing issues following the Kelp DAO exploit. Lido DAO's proposed 2,500 ETH contribution is currently in the objection phase of governance, with voting ending April 28. The swap represents a coordinated effort between major Ethereum ecosystem participants to stabilize lending markets and support orderly resolution of the Kelp incident without broader contagion.

**EarnETH** introduces a simplified approach to DeFi yield generation through its automated vault system. The vault distributes capital across multiple established protocols: - Aave - Morpho - Pendle - Gearbox Protocol - Maple Finance **Key Features:** - Dynamic reallocation toward higher-yielding opportunities - Daily auto-compounding rewards - Built on staked ETH foundation - Single deposit token (earnETH) for simplified management The system aims to optimize capital efficiency while reducing the complexity of managing multiple DeFi positions. [Learn more](http://stake.lido.fi/earn/eth)

PierTwo and RockSolid have deployed the **AutoPlus Looped ETH Vault**, marking one of the first stVault-based products to go live on mainnet. **Key Details:** - Collaboration between co-founders Pat McNab (PierTwo) and Paladin (RockSolid) - Builds on their previous partnership launching the first official rETH liquid vault - The vault integrates directly into the Rocket Pool app - Provides rETH holders with seamless access to DeFi strategies and enhanced earning opportunities This deployment represents a significant step in liquid staking infrastructure, offering users automated looping strategies for their ETH holdings.

**P2P Validator unveils institutional-grade DeFi vaults** Vatsal Gupta, Senior PM for Vaults & DeFi at P2P Validator, presented a new suite of institutional DeFi vaults built on Lido's stVaults infrastructure. The vaults aim to connect complex DeFi yield opportunities with institutional compliance requirements. **Key features:** - Dedicated staking vaults for institutions, DAOs, and family offices - DeFi vaults integrated with curators like Mellow for yield optimization - Validator-level transparency and isolated vault environments - Built on stETH, Ethereum's most liquid liquid staking token **Why it matters:** Traditional pooled staking models lacked the control and transparency institutions need. P2P's stVault integration provides direct attribution, performance tracking, and vault-level segregation while maintaining Lido's security standards. The dual approach combines conservative institutional staking with composable DeFi strategies, positioning P2P as one of the first node operators to transform Lido into a full DeFi product suite. [Read the full case study](https://blog.lido.fi/v3-p2p-expanding-ethereum-staking-flexibility-with-lido-stvaults)

**Leading builders demonstrated new Ethereum staking products built on Lido V3's stVaults infrastructure during a recent community call.** Key presentations included: - **Northstake**: Staking Vault Manager platform designed for institutional ETH staking with validator attribution, control, and transparency - **Obol**: First multi-operator DVT vault (Ethereum Client Team Vault) combining decentralization with performance - **Solstice**: DeFi Yield Vault offering delta-neutral ETH strategy structured as a hedge-fund product - **Everstake**: Market-neutral yield strategies for institutional investors with predictable ETH-denominated returns These projects demonstrate how Lido V3 enables modular, transparent institutional-grade staking products. The infrastructure allows builders to create specialized vaults without developing complex deposit flows or standalone smart contracts. **Early adopter incentive**: Until March 31st 2026, the stVaults infrastructure fee is reduced from 1% to 0% for vaults exceeding 250 ETH. [Watch the full demo session](https://www.youtube.com/live/RG_N4sT2NXQ)