How to Stake EGLD in 2026: Native Delegation vs Liquid Staking (JWLEGLD)

Last updated: 8 September 2026

Staking is the simplest way to earn a yield on EGLD, the native token of MultiversX. The network is secured by Proof-of-Stake, and anyone who delegates EGLD to a validator earns a share of the protocol rewards for helping secure it. There are two ways to do it: native delegation, which is simple but locks your EGLD, and liquid staking, which gives you a token (JWLEGLD) that keeps earning while it stays usable. This guide walks through both step by step, then compares them so you can pick the one that fits.

Quick answer: to stake EGLD natively, open the MultiversX web wallet or xPortal, choose a staking provider, delegate at least 1 EGLD and claim rewards as they accrue; exiting takes a 10-day unbonding. To stake EGLD liquidly on JewelSwap, deposit EGLD to mint JWLEGLD, stake it for SJWLEGLD (which rises in value every epoch), and keep the token liquid for trading, lending or collateral the whole time.

What staking EGLD means

When you stake EGLD you delegate it to a validator (a staking provider), who uses that stake to help validate MultiversX. In return you receive a share of the rewards the network pays out each epoch. You never sell your EGLD, and you keep the price exposure; you simply put the token to work.

The catch with native delegation is lock-up. Delegated EGLD cannot be moved, and when you undelegate it sits idle through a 10-day unbonding period before it is withdrawable. During that window it earns nothing and cannot be used anywhere. Liquid staking exists to remove exactly that trade-off.

Option 1: how to stake EGLD natively (delegation)

The classic route, done directly on-chain with no intermediary:

Get a wallet and some EGLD. Set up the MultiversX web wallet or the xPortal app, and fund it with EGLD from an exchange or a bridge.
Open the delegation section. In the wallet, go to Stake or Delegation and browse the list of staking providers.
Choose a provider. Compare service fee, uptime, total stake and how close the provider is to its cap. A provider that is full cannot accept new delegation.
Delegate. Enter the amount (the minimum is 1 EGLD) and sign the transaction. Rewards start accruing from the next epoch.
Claim or redelegate rewards. Rewards accumulate over time; claim them to your wallet or redelegate them to compound.
Undelegate to exit. Undelegate the amount you want back and wait through the 10-day unbonding period, then withdraw.

The MultiversX documentation covers the validator and delegation mechanics in depth. Native staking is non-custodial and simple. Its only real downside is that the capital is locked and idle while staked, and idle again while it unbonds.

Option 2: how to stake EGLD with liquid staking on JewelSwap

Liquid staking gives you a token that represents your staked EGLD, so the position stays usable across DeFi while the underlying EGLD keeps earning. JewelSwap uses a dual-token model on MultiversX: JWLEGLD is the liquid base token, and SJWLEGLD is the yield-bearing staked version. Here is the flow:

Connect your wallet to the JewelSwap app on MultiversX (xPortal, the web wallet, Ledger or a browser extension wallet all work).
Mint JWLEGLD. Deposit EGLD and receive JWLEGLD. JWLEGLD is 1:1 backed by EGLD. JewelSwap can mint up to 1.1 JWLEGLD per deposited EGLD under its Protocol-Owned Liquidity (POL) model; the extra tokens are paired with EGLD and placed permanently in the protocol's own AshSwap liquidity pool, so they never circulate unbacked (more on this below).
Stake JWLEGLD for SJWLEGLD. Staking JWLEGLD gives you SJWLEGLD. The EGLD behind JWLEGLD is delegated across multiple whitelisted validators; their rewards are paid out at the end of every MultiversX epoch, and each payout raises the SJWLEGLD-to-JWLEGLD exchange rate. Your SJWLEGLD balance never changes, but each unit is worth more JWLEGLD after every epoch. There is nothing to claim and nothing to compound manually.
Use the position while it earns (optional). JWLEGLD can be swapped on AshSwap, used as collateral in JewelSwap's lending markets, or paired in liquidity pools. SJWLEGLD is transferable too, so you can move a yielding position between wallets without unstaking.
Unstake instantly when you want. Converting SJWLEGLD back to JWLEGLD is instant and free, at the current exchange rate.
Redeem for EGLD, or just swap. To get EGLD back you can either swap JWLEGLD for EGLD on AshSwap at the market rate right away, or redeem JWLEGLD 1:1 through JewelSwap, which starts a 10-epoch unbonding (about 10 days) and hands you a UJWLEGLD unbonding NFT as the receipt.

The UJWLEGLD unbonding NFT

When you redeem JWLEGLD, JewelSwap mints you an NFT that proves ownership of the EGLD that is unbonding. Once the 10 epochs have passed, you use the NFT to claim your EGLD. Until then, the NFT is a normal asset: you can send it to another wallet, sell it on an NFT marketplace, or even take a loan against it on JewelSwap. Your exit is never dead capital.

Redemption fees

Most of the time, redeeming JWLEGLD is free. JewelSwap runs a dynamic fee mechanism that only activates when there is a surge of redemption requests. Its purpose is to discourage bank-run behaviour that would otherwise crash the SJWLEGLD APR, force leveraged farms that use JWLEGLD to close, and drain LP liquidity. Every fee it collects is paid to SJWLEGLD stakers, not to the protocol.

Who earns what

Of the staking rewards generated by the delegated EGLD, 90% goes to SJWLEGLD holders and 10% is kept by JewelSwap as the protocol fee. Any dynamic redemption fees are added to the staker share.

How Protocol-Owned Liquidity keeps JWLEGLD backed

The 1.1x mint sounds like it creates unbacked supply. It does not. When you deposit 1 EGLD and 1.1 JWLEGLD is minted, the extra 0.1 JWLEGLD is paired with 0.1 of the deposited EGLD and added to the protocol-owned AMM pool; the remaining EGLD is delegated to validators. The pool's JWLEGLD only leaves the protocol when someone swaps real EGLD in for it, so every JWLEGLD in an external wallet is backed at the moment it changes hands. If redemptions ever outrun the freely available EGLD, JewelSwap withdraws part of its own liquidity and burns the excess JWLEGLD to hold the 1:1 ratio. The net effect is deeper liquidity and a tighter peg without diluting stakers. The full mechanism is documented in the Protocol-Owned Liquidity docs.

Who decides where the EGLD is delegated?

Delegation is not chosen by the team. It is set by the JewelSwap Gauge, a governance vote in which staked JWLASH holders vote for their preferred whitelisted validators. The share of EGLD each validator receives tracks the share of votes it gets; percentages are refreshed every epoch on Thursdays, and each vote can be changed every 10 days. When EGLD is undelegated for redemptions, it is pulled first from the least-voted validator and last from the most-voted one.

Native vs liquid staking: side by side

What you hold. Native: delegated EGLD in a provider contract. Liquid: JWLEGLD (liquid) or SJWLEGLD (yield-bearing).
Minimum. Native: 1 EGLD. Liquid: low; check the app.
Rewards. Native: claim or redelegate manually. Liquid: auto-compound into the SJWLEGLD exchange rate every epoch.
Capital usable while staked? Native: no. Liquid: yes, as a swap asset, LP position or collateral.
Exit. Native: 10-day unbonding with the capital idle. Liquid: instant swap on AshSwap, or a 10-epoch redemption with a transferable UJWLEGLD NFT.
Validator choice. Native: you pick one provider. Liquid: spread across whitelisted validators by Gauge vote.
Extra risk. Native: validator performance. Liquid: validator performance plus smart-contract risk and short-term peg deviation on the DEX.
Fee on rewards. Native: the provider's service fee. Liquid: 10% protocol fee.

Which should you choose?

Choose native staking if you want the simplest possible setup, plan to leave the EGLD untouched for a long time, and do not want any smart-contract exposure beyond the protocol itself.
Choose liquid staking if you want the same EGLD to do several jobs at once: earn staking rewards as SJWLEGLD while you also use JWLEGLD as collateral, liquidity or farm fuel. It also gives you a faster exit via the DEX.

Both are non-custodial. Liquid staking adds composability on top of the base staking reward; it does not replace it.

Risks to understand before you stake

Yield is not fixed. Rewards depend on network conditions, total stake and validator performance.
Validator risk. Poor uptime reduces rewards. Gauge delegation across many validators spreads this, but does not eliminate it.
Smart-contract risk. Liquid staking runs on code. JewelSwap's contracts are documented and the mechanics are public, but no contract is risk-free.
Peg deviation. JWLEGLD's DEX price can trade away from 1:1 in volatile periods. Redemption through the protocol remains 1:1; a discount on the DEX only affects you if you sell there instead of redeeming.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum amount of EGLD to stake?

Native delegation requires at least 1 EGLD per provider. JewelSwap liquid staking has its own low entry; check the app before depositing.

How long does it take to unstake EGLD?

Native undelegation takes 10 days of unbonding. With JewelSwap, converting SJWLEGLD to JWLEGLD is instant, and JWLEGLD can be swapped for EGLD on AshSwap immediately; redeeming 1:1 through the protocol takes about 10 epochs (roughly 10 days), with a transferable UJWLEGLD NFT in the meantime.

Do I keep earning while my EGLD unbonds?

Not with native delegation. With JewelSwap you only stop earning once you unstake SJWLEGLD, and even then the unbonding NFT remains sellable or usable as loan collateral.

Is JWLEGLD really backed 1:1?

Yes. The 1.1x mint under Protocol-Owned Liquidity puts the extra tokens into a protocol-owned pool paired with EGLD; they cannot leave without EGLD coming in, and the protocol burns excess JWLEGLD from that pool if redemptions require it.

Where can I trade JWLEGLD?

On AshSwap, where JewelSwap's protocol-owned liquidity for JWLEGLD lives.

Is EGLD staking taxable?

Staking rewards are treated as income in many jurisdictions and the rules differ by country. This guide is not tax advice.

Keep reading

Ready to stake? Read the JWLEGLD documentation and open the JewelSwap app on MultiversX.

Viktor Vostrikov

Co-Founder

About the author.

Co-Founder at JewelSwap & Chief Strategy Officer at iDenfy. Viktor brings his successful track record of superb development & project management.