Why the staking ratio matters
92.08% of all XNT is actively staked. That is one of the highest staking ratios of any live chain, and it defines almost everything about X1's economics: a very thin liquid float, a large validator set relative to circulating supply, and a per-token reward rate that is structurally compressed because rewards are divided across so much stake.
It also means the marginal staking decision is less about chasing yield and more about which layer of the stack you want your capital sitting in — native, official liquid pool, or third-party liquid protocol.
Three ways to stake XNT
| Route | You receive | Liquid? | Exit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native delegation X1 Wallet or delegation portal | Stake account | No | Epoch boundary (~24h) | Maximum control over validator choice |
| Official SPL stake pool | pXNT | Yes | Swap or redeem anytime | Set-and-forget with DeFi composability |
| Ripper Pool | rXNT | Yes | Instant swap on XDEX | Yield stacking across X1 DeFi |
1. Native delegation
The most direct route. Open the X1 Wallet extension, use the three-dot menu → Stake, pick a validator and an amount. You can also delegate from the Foundation delegation portal. Your XNT sits in a stake account you control; rewards compound into it each epoch. Nothing is transferable until you deactivate and withdraw.
2. Official stake pool → pXNT
X1 runs an SPL Stake Pool. Deposit XNT, receive pXNT at the current pool exchange rate — roughly 1:1 at launch, drifting upward as rewards accrue. The pool spreads your stake across its validator set automatically, so you are not making a validator selection. Full walkthrough: how to stake XNT and get liquid pXNT.
3. Ripper Pool → rXNT
Ripper Pool was the first liquid staking protocol on X1. It is non-custodial, automates validator selection toward top performers, and its rXNT token is designed to be used across X1 DeFi — XDEX liquidity pools, Degen yield farms, X1NS payments — so you can layer trading fees and farm incentives on top of the base staking yield.
How rewards actually work
X1 uses delegated proof of stake with epoch-based reward distribution, inheriting Solana's model. Concretely:
- Rewards are computed and credited at each epoch boundary, roughly every 24 hours.
- Your validator takes its commission off the top. Median commission in the current active set is 10%; the Foundation delegation program caps participating validators at 10%.
- Validator performance matters directly — a validator with a high skip rate produces fewer blocks and therefore fewer rewards for its delegators.
- Native staking rewards auto-compound into the stake account. Liquid staking tokens compound via exchange-rate appreciation instead.
The Foundation delegation program
The largest single source of delegated stake is the X1 Foundation's automated program, currently delegating 28.93% of total supply, with treasury delegation adding 47.94%. It runs at every epoch boundary with no human review: an algorithm checks each approved validator against hard criteria and redistributes.
If you are staking as a delegator this matters because it determines which validators are well-capitalised and stable. If you are running a node it matters far more — the requirements include a 3,000 XNT self-stake floor and commission at or below 10%, and failing any check at an epoch boundary removes your delegation with no grace period. Full mechanics: the X1 Foundation stake delegation program, explained for operators.
Risks worth naming
- Validator delinquency. 121 validators are currently delinquent. Delegating to one earns you nothing until it recovers.
- Liquid token depeg. pXNT and rXNT should trade near their redemption value, but in thin liquidity they can trade below it. If you need to exit fast during stress, that discount is your real cost.
- Smart contract risk. Native staking is protocol-level. Liquid staking adds a contract layer — audited, but still an additional surface.
- Thin exit liquidity. XNT's tradeable float is small. Staking is the easy direction; unwinding a large position without moving the price is the hard one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stake XNT?
Three routes. Stake natively from the X1 Wallet extension (three-dot menu → Stake) or the Foundation delegation portal; stake into the official SPL stake pool and receive liquid pXNT; or stake through Ripper Pool and receive liquid rXNT. Our step-by-step staking guide covers each.
What is the XNT staking yield?
Rewards come from X1's DPoS block rewards and are paid every epoch, roughly every 24 hours. The effective rate depends on total network stake, validator commission and validator uptime — with a staking ratio above 90% the per-token rate is structurally lower than on chains with a thin stake base. Median commission in the active set is currently 10%. Because the rate floats, we publish the live inputs above rather than a fixed APY number.
What is pXNT?
pXNT is the liquid staking token of X1's official SPL stake pool. You deposit XNT and receive pXNT at the current pool rate. As pool validators earn rewards the pool's XNT grows while pXNT supply stays fixed, so each pXNT redeems for progressively more XNT. It is the same design as stETH on Ethereum or mSOL on Solana. There is no harvest step — appreciation is continuous.
What is rXNT and how is it different from pXNT?
rXNT is the liquid staking token from Ripper Pool, X1's first liquid staking protocol, built with BlackPearl. Mechanically it works like pXNT — the exchange rate appreciates rather than paying rewards out — but it is a separate protocol with its own validator selection, and it offers instant unstaking by swapping rXNT back to XNT on XDEX rather than waiting for an epoch boundary.
How long does unstaking XNT take?
Native stake deactivates at an epoch boundary — roughly 24 hours, and up to two epochs in practice depending on when in the epoch you request it. Liquid staking tokens sidestep the wait entirely: you can swap pXNT or rXNT for XNT on a DEX at any time, though you pay the market spread instead of redeeming at the exact pool rate.
Can I lose my staked XNT?
X1 inherits Solana's stake design, which has no slashing for ordinary downtime — a poorly performing validator costs you rewards, not principal. The real risks are different: choosing a validator that goes delinquent (you simply earn nothing), smart contract risk if you use a liquid staking protocol, and price risk on the liquid token trading below its redemption value during stress.
How do I choose a validator?
Look at uptime and skip rate first, commission second, and stake concentration third — delegating to already-huge validators worsens decentralisation without improving your yield. X1VAL and X1 Galaxy both publish per-validator performance. See X1 validators for the current shape of the set.
Is staked XNT counted in circulating supply?
No — and this is the most misunderstood number on X1. The chain's reported circulating supply excludes all stake, not just Foundation stake. Community-owned stake currently totals about 12.22M XNT — more than double the entire reported circulating supply of 13.61M XNT. So XNT you staked yourself stops being counted as circulating, which is the opposite of how Solana treats staked SOL. It also means the headline market cap understates the value of publicly held XNT — see XNT price for both measures.