Unlocking Liquidity from Staked Assets
With select custodial integrations, leverage staked assets as collateral to receive instant in-kind liquidity, bypass unbonding queues, hedge market risk, and enhance yield potential through Galaxy’s OTC Trading and Lending desks.
Institutions that stake assets often encounter a key challenge: accessing liquidity during periods of market movement. With validator exit queues sometimes stretching weeks, capital can be locked up at critical times. For treasurers, traders, and funds, this delay can make it difficult to hedge positions, capture basis opportunities, or respond quickly to market volatility.
In this case study, a hypothetical fund staking ETH with Galaxy validators seeks to manage liquidity during a period of market stress. Exiting through Ethereum’s validator queue could take weeks under current conditions. To address this timing challenge, the fund borrows ETH against its staked assets through Galaxy. This approach allows the fund to stay flexible, preserve capital efficiency, and remain responsive to market developments.
How it Works
Benefits at a Glance
Instant Liquidity[1]: In-kind assets on demand, despite lengthy unbonding queues.
Capital Efficiency: Keep staking rewards while deploying liquidity elsewhere.
Flexibility in Volatile Markets: Hedge or trade without unwinding staking positions.
Institutional Security: Collateral remains custodied, secured by liens and Account Control Agreements (ACA) agreements.
Beyond staking liquidity, Galaxy supports institutions across the trading and investment cycle with OTC trading, lending, spot, derivatives, and structured products. We work closely with clients to develop tailored strategies aligned with their objectives.
Final Thoughts
While Ethereum's multi-week exit queue underscores the urgency of instant liquidity in moments of market stress, Galaxy is built to serve institutions across all market conditions. Clients can unlock liquidity without compromising their staked positions—whether queues are long or short, and whether staking ETH, SOL, or other assets. With institutional custody, operational security, and real-time access to funds, Galaxy helps clients remain nimble, capital-efficient, and ready to capture opportunities every day.
Contact our team to learn more about using your stake assets as collateral.
Learn more about our custody integrations:
[1] “Instant" liquidity refers to the ability to access funds within a timeframe that is materially faster than the native unbonding or exit queues of staking networks. Actual settlement speed may vary with market conditions and operational factors.
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