mSOL 101: How to Get Started with Liquid Staking on Solana

Liquid staking with mSOL unlocks the full potential of Solana’s DeFi ecosystem while earning passive rewards.

Why Stake SOL on Solana?

With over 300 million SOL in circulation, Solana has become a top choice for crypto enthusiasts due to:

• Low transaction fees
• High staking yields (~6.2% APY)
• Proof-of-History efficiency

Key Insight: If you’re not staking your SOL, you’re missing out on boosting Solana’s decentralization and your portfolio’s growth!

The Power of Liquid Staking

Traditional staking locks your tokens for 2–3 days per epoch. Marinade Finance revolutionizes this by offering:

• mSOL (liquid staked SOL): A tradable, yield-bearing asset.
• DeFi integration: Use mSOL across Solana’s ecosystem while earning staking rewards.

Step-by-Step Guide to Earning with mSOL

Step 1: Stake SOL for mSOL

1. Visit Marinade.Finance and connect your Solana wallet (e.g., Phantom, Solflare).
2. Enter the SOL amount to stake and confirm the transaction.
3. Receive mSOL tokens instantly, accruing ~6.2% APY.

👉 Maximize your staking rewards with Marinade’s estimator

Step 2: Supercharge Earnings in DeFi

Option A: Single-Sided Farming

• Deposit mSOL in protocols like Raydium or Orca to farm additional tokens (e.g., MNDE).

Option B: Liquidity Pools

• Pair mSOL with stablecoins or other assets (e.g., mSOL-USDC) for higher APYs.
  ⚠️ Risk Note: Impermanent loss can occur with volatile pairs.

Option C: Advanced Strategies

• Friktion Vaults: Automate covered calls for extra yield.
• Leveraged looping: Borrow against mSOL (high risk; research first).

Key Benefits of mSOL

• Decentralization: Marinade stakes across 400+ validators.
• Flexibility: Swap mSOL back to SOL anytime (instant for a fee or free after 2–3 days).
• Ecosystem Growth: mSOL aims to become Solana’s primary unit of account.

FAQs

1. Is liquid staking safe?

Yes—Marinade is non-custodial. You retain control of your tokens.

2. Can I unstake mSOL immediately?

Yes, for a small fee. Or wait 2–3 days for a free withdrawal.

3. Where can I use mSOL?

DEXs (Raydium), lending platforms (Larix), and more. See Marinade’s DeFi page.

4. What’s the APY for staking SOL?

~6.2%, compounded automatically.

5. How does mSOL price change?

mSOL appreciates vs. SOL each epoch as rewards accumulate.

Final Tips

• Diversify: Combine staking with DeFi for “double-dip” yields.
• Stay Updated: Follow Marinade’s roadmap for new integrations.

Solana’s DeFi thrives with mSOL—start earning today!