The emergence of Ethereum’s proof of stake (PoS) system has brought forth the possibility of creating a benchmark for staking yields, which could significantly impact the cryptocurrency landscape. Validators, or stakers, engage with the Ethereum network by locking up a portion of their ETH as collateral to participate in the consensus mechanism. In return, they receive rewards in the form of new protocol emissions and transaction fees.
To harness the benefits of this innovation, the development of a standardized benchmark, representing the daily, annualized mean of on-chain rewards across all validators, is essential. The transparency and immutability of blockchain technology make such a benchmark less susceptible to manipulation compared to traditional financial benchmarks, like the infamous LIBOR.
Preliminary analysis of this potential benchmark suggests that average protocol emissions trend downward as new validators join the network. However, it appears that the rate increases substantially when there are spikes in network activity due to events like FTX’s insolvency or the recent PEPE meme coin frenzy.
This standardized ETH staking rate could serve multiple immediate utilities. Much like overnight index swap (OIS) rates in traditional finance, the staking rate would provide reference rate utility for market participants. From crypto-native Sharpe ratios to pricing benchmarks, a standardized rate could be used to discount future cash flows and allow investors to more accurately assess the present value of their Ethereum ecosystem investments.
Furthermore, a standard staking rate could form the basis for an essential new risk transfer tool. Interest from natural hedgers, such as validators, and prospective speculators could result in the creation of a forward curve, and consequently swaps, futures, and other derivatives. Basis swaps with traditional rates or cross-currency swaps with fiat currencies could provide an intriguing new opportunity for crypto rate integration while enabling the proliferation of structured products.
This new staking rate could ultimately unlock the next generation of financial products and serve as a building block for Ethereum’s monetary policy. As a result, the Composite Ether Staking Rate (CESR) represents a critical development in the evolution of the Ethereum ecosystem and an exciting frontier for innovation in the realm of decentralized finance and beyond.
It is worth noting that CoinFund recently announced a partnership with CoinDesk Indices to launch CESR, as this reflects the growing interest in the potential and applicability of such benchmarks within the blockchain and
Source: Coindesk
